Final vote tallies left both main political camps short of a 60-seat threshold in the 120-seat Knesset, with Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc winning 53 seats and Gadi Eisenkot's bloc securing 48. Arab-led parties defied expectations by capturing a record 19 seats, turning them into decisive kingmakers for any governing coalition. Electoral officials have confirmed there is no evidence of systemic integrity violations, despite ongoing security inquiries into the foreign funding claims. Netanyahu's rivals argue these fraud accusations are deliberately calculated to preemptively torpedo Eisenkot's sole realistic path to forming a government.
Key points
The unprecedented 19-seat haul by Arab-led parties positions them as potential kingmakers…: The unprecedented 19-seat haul by Arab-led parties positions them as potential kingmakers in breaking the parliamentary stalemate.
Critics argue that voter fraud claims are aimed at preventing Eisenkot from establishing…: Critics argue that voter fraud claims are aimed at preventing Eisenkot from establishing a governing alliance with Arab lawmakers.
Viable paths to forming the next government now include a national unity arrangement or e…: Viable paths to forming the next government now include a national unity arrangement or enticing defectors to build a right-wing majority.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
- Published
The main Israeli opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot and Arab-led party leaders have denounced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleging foreign interference following the election which saw his coalition lose its majority.
Netanyahu's Likud accused Israel's Arab-led parties of "stealing" the election. Home security agency Shin Bet is investigating whether they received illegal funding from Qatar and Turkey.
Qatar's foreign ministry denied the "ridiculous and dangerous" allegations and accused Israeli politicians of conducting a disinformation campaign against Doha.
Final results confirmed that neither Netanyahu's bloc nor the Jewish opposition had won a majority in parliament.
The two Arab party lists - The Joint List and the Ra'am - defied expectations to win a record 19 seats in the 120-seat Knesset following a surge in turnout among Arab voters.
That positions them as potential kingmakers, with Netanyahu's bloc winning 53 seats and his rival Gadi Eisenkot's bloc securing 48.
On Thursday Likud alleged that voters had been "bribed" to vote for Arab parties, after the head of the Central Elections Committee (CEC) asked the Shin Bet security service to investigate…
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