Netanyahu alleges Arab parties stole election after losing majority

Summarised from 6 outlets · Updated 30 Oct, 15:11 · Archive

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's party alleged without evidence that Arab-led parties stole the election after his coalition lost its parliamentary majority.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party alleged on Thursday, without providing evidence, that Arab-led parties had 'stolen' the election. The allegations came after final results showed his coalition had lost its majority in parliament.

Netanyahu's bloc secured 53 of the 120 seats in the Knesset, down from 64 in the previous election and short of the 61 needed to form a government. The opposition bloc led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot won 48 seats, also falling short of a majority. Arab-led parties achieved a record combined total of 19 seats following a surge in turnout among Arab voters, positioning them as potential kingmakers in coalition negotiations.

Likud accused Arab parties of receiving illegal funding from Qatar and Turkey to influence voters, claiming this amounted to vote-buying. The party stated that the alleged interference was 'aimed at facilitating a foreign takeover of the Knesset, the Islamization of Israel and toppling of the right wing government'. Israel's Shin Bet security agency is investigating whether Arab-led parties received improper foreign funding. The head of Israel's election committee, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, asked Shin Bet to investigate 'serious suspicions' of improper influence, though he said he could not attest to the substance of the allegations.

Qatar's foreign ministry denied the allegations as 'ridiculous and dangerous' and accused Israeli politicians of conducting a disinformation campaign against Doha. Both Arab party lists strongly rejected Likud's claims, with the Joint List alliance saying the allegations were baseless.

Opposition leader Eisenkot and Arab party leaders denounced Netanyahu's claims, accusing him of attempting to delegitimise the Arab parties and demonise the Arab population. Critics view the allegations as an attempt to make it politically impossible for Eisenkot to form a coalition with Arab parties, which is currently his bloc's only route to power.

Eisenkot now faces a difficult coalition path. Most parties in his bloc have rejected relying on Arab-led parties, while Eisenkot has said neither Arab party meets his conditions for partnership. If the opposition teams up with Arab parties, a rare and politically risky move, they could potentially assemble a majority government.

Final election results remain to be certified and submitted to the country's president next Wednesday, setting up weeks of coalition bargaining and political uncertainty.

How it is being reported

• Netanyahu's party claims Israel's election was stolen. Now what?Benjamin Netanyahu, facing a possible election ouster, has made a contentious claim that a foreign country meddled to boost voting by Israel's Arab minority.CBS News · 30 Oct, 14:39
• Israel elections: Netanyahu attacks Arab parties as they emerge as potential kingmakersBenjamin Netanyahu's Likud party alleged on Thursday, without providing evidence, that Arab parties' record gains in an election this week were driven in part by voter fraud. These accusations represent an escalation of anti-Arab rhetoric by Netanyahu and his far-right partners after Arab-led parties made a historic showing in the election – giving them a potential kingmaker role in the next governmentFrance 24 · 30 Oct, 10:10
• Netanyahu's party ramps up claims Arab parties 'stole' the election and warns of 'Israel's Islamisation' after failing to win majorityThe opposition accused Mr Netanyahu of demonising the Arab population after a historic showing by Arab-led parties in an attempt to delegitimise the election.Daily Mail · 30 Oct, 07:48
• Israel faces weeks of coalition haggling as Netanyahu’s party claims election 'stolen'Israel's election leaves the country facing weeks of coalition bargaining and an uphill battle for the opposition party to form a majority government.CNBC · 30 Oct, 03:28
• Netanyahu attacks Israel’s Arab parties as he falls short of majorityIsrael’s Prime Minister accused Palestinian-Israeli parties of election fraud.Al Jazeera · 30 Oct, 02:40
• Israeli opposition accuses Netanyahu of trying to 'delegitimise' electionThe PM's Likud party has alleged foreign interference and said Arab-led parties "stole" the election after his coalition lost its majority.BBC News · 29 Oct, 20:21

In this story: Benjamin Netanyahu · Gadi Eisenkot · Likud · Joint List · Ra'am · Shin Bet · Qatar · Israel

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log