Israel denies trying to sway U.S. election

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BEERSHBA, Israel, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson's support for Republican nominee Mitt Romney did not amount to Israeli interference in the U.S. election, an Israeli official said.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu did not use his friendship with Adelson to try to sway the vote in Romney's favor, Minister of Finance Yuval Steinitz said Saturday.

"We refrained from interfering in the democratic process in the United States," Steinitz was quoted as telling an audience at an event in Beersheba, the Jerusalem Post said.

Steinitz said public statements by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert about Netanyahu's supposed effort to influence the election with Adelson's campaign contributions were "baseless."

"Because Sheldon Adelson contributed money to Romney, and he is also a friend of the prime minister, they started to claim it was Israeli interference," Steinitz said.