Arab parties win 19 seats as weakened Netanyahu spreads malfeasance claims; Likud party calls Israel election stolen | Fortune

Results leave Netanyahu short

Results released Thursday gave Netanyahu’s bloc 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset. His main opposition won 48, while Arab-led parties secured 19. Netanyahu’s bloc had controlled 68 seats at its peak in the previous parliament.

The count is complete, but officials still must certify the results and submit them to the president next Wednesday. If opposition groups join Arab-led parties, they could potentially form a parliamentary majority—a rare and politically risky alliance.

Claims prompt investigation

Likud spread allegations of malfeasance after exit polls suggested Netanyahu had suffered a setback in Tuesday’s vote. The party escalated its rhetoric after election committee head Noam Sohlberg said “serious suspicions” of foreign interference had been brought to him. In a letter to the Shin Bet security agency, Sohlberg said he could not verify the allegations but asked the agency to investigate because of their seriousness. The election commission later said the probe relied on classified intelligence, while its acting director general, Dean Livne, warned that reports about it were “entirely unfounded.”

Officials reject broad allegations

Likud declared, “The elections in Israel have been stolen!” It alleged, without evidence, that interference sought to enable a foreign takeover of the Knesset, the Islamization of Israel and the removal of the right-wing government. Israeli media reported that Likud members accused Qatar, which many Israelis regard as a patron of Hamas. Qatar called the allegations “ridiculous and dangerous.” The election committee said claims of systematic violations of electoral integrity were baseless, and Livne said the probe did not affect the final results or concern a particular population group. The Shin Bet said the investigation was not intended to cast aspersions on an entire section of the population that had voted lawfully and democratically.

Opposition sees political strategy

Former military chief Gadi Eisenkot accused Likud of trying to delegitimize the results, saying, “They are doing this because they lost.” He also mocked the Qatar allegation, saying he welcomed Netanyahu’s condemnation of Qatari involvement in Israel. Netanyahu has suggested that Eisenkot joining Arab-led parties would be treasonous. By casting doubt on the vote, Netanyahu appeared to be seeking to block a possible alliance that could give his rival enough support to oust him. Netanyahu has also faced accusations that former senior aides accepted money from Qatar.

Before the vote, Netanyahu and Likud portrayed Arab-led parties as a danger to Israel, drawing criticism that the campaign further marginalized Arab citizens. Arab citizens of Palestinian descent make up 20% of the population. Anger at Netanyahu and his far-right government, along with the campaign attacks, drove a record turnout among outraged Arab voters, the article said.