Judge Solberg dismissed a petition against the distribution of money in Satmar to avoid voting: "A done deal"
The chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Judge Noam Solberg, dismissed a petition against the distribution of money in the Satmar Hasidic sect in exchange for a commitment not to vote in the elections. Solberg ruled that the commitment has no legal validity, but the process was defined as a "done deal" and therefore he has no authority to continue hearing the petition. He ordered the matter to be transferred to the Israel Police for review.
The chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Judge Noam Solberg, dismissed today (Thursday) a petition alleging that the Satmar Hasidic sect was distributing money to those who commit not to vote in the elections. Solberg ruled that a commitment to refrain from voting in exchange for money has no legal validity, but the process was defined as a "done deal" — meaning the money had already been distributed before the petition was filed, and therefore he has no authority to continue hearing it. However, he ordered the committee's legal advisor to transfer the matter to the Israel Police for review. In his decision, Solberg wrote that "any commitment to refrain from voting, for money or other material consideration - is legally null and void," and that the person who made the commitment is still entitled to vote. The association that distributed the money announced that the sums were distributed on the day the petition was filed, but did not specify whether they were given in exchange for a commitment not to vote.