Israeli opposition accuses Netanyahu of trying to 'delegitimise' election

What the report says

Israeli opposition figures have accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to undermine the legitimacy of the country’s election after his Likud party raised claims of foreign interference and said Arab-led parties had “stolen” the vote. The BBC reported from Jerusalem that the dispute followed final results showing Netanyahu’s bloc fell short of a parliamentary majority.

According to the article, Arab-led lists including the Joint List and Ra’am won a record 19 seats in the 120-seat Knesset after higher turnout among Arab voters. That performance gives them potential leverage in coalition talks, with the main bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot on 48 seats and Netanyahu’s alliance on 53. The election outcome leaves several possible government combinations, including a unity deal, a right-wing coalition with defectors, or an Eisenkot-led minority government backed by Arab parties.

Likud alleged that voters had been bribed to support Arab parties after election officials sought a Shin Bet inquiry into suspected foreign interference. Israeli media reported that the claims involved possible funding linked to Qatar, and the security agency is investigating. Qatar denied the accusations, calling them false and dangerous. The article also notes that Shin Bet later clarified it was not accusing an entire community and that election officials said there was no evidence of systematic violations.

Eisenkot and Arab party leaders rejected the allegations as a campaign to delegitimise the election results. The episode matters because it could affect coalition-building in a deeply divided parliament, where Arab parties may be decisive in determining who governs.