Unofficial tallies show Benjamin Netanyahu's nationalist-religious bloc securing only 53 seats, well short of the 61-seat threshold needed to form a government. To prevent rival Gadi Eisenkot from leveraging Arab parties to build a ruling minority coalition, the Likud party has alleged vote theft and foreign election interference backed by Qatar. Israeli election authorities and the Shin Bet domestic intelligence service confirmed that while specific individual suspicions are under review, the overall integrity of the election remains sound.
Key points
Neither major political faction secured the 61-seat parliamentary majority required to go…: Neither major political faction secured the 61-seat parliamentary majority required to govern Israel.
Election officials and security services found no evidence of systematic fraud compromisi…: Election officials and security services found no evidence of systematic fraud compromising the vote.
Netanyahu's fraud rhetoric is viewed by critics as an effort to delegitimize Arab-Jewish…: Netanyahu's fraud rhetoric is viewed by critics as an effort to delegitimize Arab-Jewish political cooperation.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
By attacking Arab parties, Benjamin Netanyahu may be trying to ensure his main rival feels unable to consider forming a minority government with Arab help, analysts say.
JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alleged on Thursday (Oct 29), without providing evidence, that Arab parties' record gains in an election this week were driven in part by voter fraud, a charge rejected by Arab leaders who accused the premier of incitement.
The allegation represents an escalation of rhetoric against Arab parties by Netanyahu and his far-right partners after high Arab turnout in a national ballot on Tuesday effectively blocked a smooth path to power for either him or his main rivals.
Israeli officials said on Thursday that the authorities were probing fraud allegations, though the election's integrity was not systematically compromised.
Analysts and critics say that by stepping up attacks on Arab parties, Netanyahu may be trying to ensure his main rival, Gadi Eisenkot, feels unable to even consider forming a minority government with Arab help that could oust him from power.
Netanyahu's goal is "delegitimising any Arab-Jewish cooperation", said Eytan…
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