JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc lost its majority in the Israeli Knesset following Tuesday’s parliamentary vote, triggering bitter recriminations and allegations from his party that the outcome was fraudulent.
Official tallies released by the Central Elections Committee showed Netanyahu’s Likud party and its allies securing 53 seats in the 120-member legislature, down sharply from 64 in the 2022 election and far below the 61 seats required to govern, CNBC and ABC News reported. The primary opposition alliance, headed by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, captured 48 seats, leaving neither camp with an immediate path to a majority.
A historic showing by Arab-led factions reshaped the political landscape, with the Joint List and Ra’am capturing an unprecedented combined 19 seats, according to election authorities. The surge in Arab turnout followed aggressive campaigning by Netanyahu, who warned his supporters on social media that high Arab participation posed an existential threat to the Israeli right.
Claims of foreign meddling
Faced with the setback, Likud intensified allegations of malfeasance, proclaiming Thursday that the vote had been “stolen,” Fortune reported. Likud asserted without evidence that foreign entities had orchestrated election meddling to trigger a takeover of the Knesset and topple the governing coalition.
Israeli media reported that Likud members specifically pointed to Qatar, accusing the Gulf state of financing efforts to mobilize Arab voters. The Qatari Foreign Ministry swiftly rejected the accusations, calling them “ridiculous and dangerous in equal measure,” according to CNBC and BBC News.
The rhetoric escalated after Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, who chairs the Central Elections Committee, asked the Shin Bet domestic security agency to examine serious suspicions brought to his attention concerning foreign funding. Sohlberg stressed that he could not verify the merits of the allegations, while acting committee director general Dean Livne reiterated that there was no evidence of systematic violations of electoral integrity.
The Shin Bet also sought to tamp down public friction, stating that the inquiry was not designed to cast suspicion on Arab citizens who exercised their democratic voting rights lawfully, Fortune reported.
Opposition pushes back
Eisenkot and other opposition figures condemned the rhetoric, accusing Netanyahu of manufacturing a crisis to cling to power after a clear defeat.
“They are doing this because they lost,” Eisenkot said, as reported by Fortune.
Balad Chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh, part of the Joint List, characterized the accusations as a fabricated smear meant to enlist security services to overturn democratic results, according to BBC News. Meanwhile, Democrats party leader Yair Golan accused Netanyahu of running an ugly delegitimization campaign targeting Arab citizens.
Joint List leaders stated they are prepared for political cooperation to prevent Netanyahu from remaining in office, ABC News reported. Although Jewish and Arab parties rarely unite in ruling coalitions, discussions have already surfaced regarding a joint push to replace the Knesset speaker, which could grant the opposition control over the parliamentary legislative agenda.
What comes next
The counted ballots must still be formally certified and presented to President Isaac Herzog next Wednesday. Herzog termed the situation a “sensitive moment” and called for a thorough investigation while urging the nation not to disparage an entire community of voters.
The election committee has requested preliminary findings from the Shin Bet within a week. If neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot can cobble together a 61-seat coalition in the weeks ahead, the country could be forced into another snap election early next year.
