Israel's Herzog Backs Attorney General as Shin Bet Bid to Question Arab Lawmakers Over Election Interference Is Rejected
Israel's President Isaac Herzog publicly expressed support for Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara on Wednesday, November 4, as he received the certified results of the October 27 election, the Associated Press reported. Herzog condemned coarse and racist rhetoric directed at the Arab community and urged patience with a sensitive investigation by the Shin Bet security service.
According to the report, the Shin Bet had sought the attorney general's approval to interrogate several Arab lawmakers, including Ra'am party leader Mansour Abbas, over alleged foreign interference in the October 27 election. Baharav-Miara rejected the request for lack of evidence. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, by contrast, publicly called for the arrest of Arab party leaders. The Joint List of Arab parties condemned the investigation as incitement.
The Central Elections Committee formally delivered the results to Herzog the same day, and he began coalition consultations at the President's Residence. The certified results left no bloc with the 61 seats needed to form a government.
Related: Herzog receives certified election results and opens coalition consultations
Source: Associated Press
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：以色列总检察长 Gali Baharav-Miara（资料图）。Maayan Toaf 摄，CC BY-SA 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Israeli Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara (file photo). By Maayan Toaf, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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