Likud claims Arab parties stole Israel election as final counts pending

The Likud party, led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accused Arab-led parties of stealing the Tuesday elections on Thursday. The claims emerged as exit polls suggested Netanyahu’s religious and nationalist alliance had lost its majority in the 120-seat Knesset. Israeli media projected that Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats, while the secular opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot secured 48. Arab-led parties captured the remaining 19 seats.

Likud issued a statement declaring that the elections had been robbed. The party alleged that foreign interference was intended to facilitate a takeover of the Knesset, the Islamization of Israel, and the ousting of the right-wing government. These assertions were made without presented evidence. Israeli media reported that Likud members specifically pointed to Qatar, a country many Israelis view as a patron of Hamas, as the source of the interference.

Qatar quickly denied the accusations, labeling them ridiculous and dangerous. The head of Israel’s electoral committee, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, stated that serious suspicions of foreign interference had been presented to him. In a letter to the Shin Bet security agency, Sohlberg wrote that he could not verify the claims himself but requested an investigation given their gravity. The Shin Bet responded by stating that its probe does not intend to cast doubt on a sector of the population that voted democratically and legally.

The electoral committee adopted a cautious tone in a letter to a concerned member of parliament. It maintained that despite the ongoing investigation, claims of systematic violations of electoral integrity lack foundation. The committee expects to receive the Shin Bet’s findings later this week. Israeli law requires that election results be certified by Nov. 4.

Opposition leaders accused Netanyahu of demonizing the Arab population to delegitimize the emerging results. Arab Israelis of Palestinian descent make up 20% of the population. Critics noted that Netanyahu and Likud had campaigned on anti-Arab rhetoric, portraying these parties as a danger to Israel. This strategy, combined with discontent over Netanyahu’s far-right government, drove historic voter turnout among Arab citizens.

Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu’s main rival and a former military chief, stated that Likud was trying to undermine the results because it lost. He said, 'Hacen esto porque perdieron.' Eisenkot indicated he is open to forming an alliance with Arab-led parties, provided certain conditions are met. Ahmad Tibi, the deputy head of the Arab-led Joint List, told the Army Radio that the opposition bloc contacted Eisenkot to discuss replacing the Knesset president. Tibi added that Eisenkot’s party would support the bloc’s candidate for the role.

Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats party, accused Netanyahu of attempting to undermine the results through a nefarious campaign of delegitimization targeting the Arab public. The Joint List asserted that Netanyahu is working to steal the elections. Mansour Abbas, leader of the Arab-led Ra’am party, welcomed the interference investigation but claimed his party was unrelated to the case. Abbas accused Netanyahu of driving a campaign of incitement.

President Isaac Herzog described the situation as a delicate moment and called for a thorough investigation. He warned that Israel must not tarnish an entire community trying to exercise its right to vote. Small gatherings occurred in Tel Aviv and conservative Jerusalem to support a coalition including Arab-led parties. No Arab party had joined a governing coalition since 2021, when participation was brief.

If a new government cannot be formed after multiple attempts, Israel faces new elections in early 2027. Herzog signaled a desire to avoid that outcome, a position shared by Eisenkot. A new vote would raise questions about whether Arab citizens and tens of thousands of Israelis who traveled home to vote would return to the polls again. Many had indicated they took that step to save the country from Netanyahu.