Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg initially called for an inquiry into suspected outside influence, prompting the Likud Party to claim the contest was targeted to unseat right-wing rule. In response, opposition figures like Democrats leader Yair Golan argued that the governing faction is deliberately seeking to invalidate Arab voters and discredit the democratic process. Meanwhile, preliminary counts based on more than 90 percent of ballots confirm that neither Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc nor the Zionist opposition holds the 61 seats needed to govern. With Palestinian-led parties on track to claim a record 19 seats, key opposition leaders continue to resist forming a…
Key points
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged the Shin Bet to interrogate Arab party leaders re…: Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged the Shin Bet to interrogate Arab party leaders regarding alleged foreign election interference.
The Likud Party claimed the election was compromised by foreign interests aiming to toppl…: The Likud Party claimed the election was compromised by foreign interests aiming to topple right-wing governance.
Major opposition figures have rejected partnering with Arab-led parties despite their off…: Major opposition figures have rejected partnering with Arab-led parties despite their offer to support a minority administration.
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Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called on Shin Bet to question Arab Party leaders over claims of foreign influence in the election, Israeli newssite Haaretz reports.
According to the report, Smotrich said, "Suspicions of election manipulation using foreign Islamist money are a test for the State of Israel" and that "Arab party leaders must be questioned by the Shin Bet today".
His comments come after the Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg called to investigate suspected foreign influence on the elections.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party responded that "Israel's election was stolen!"
"This is an attack on democracy aimed at enabling a foreign takeover of the Knesset, the Islamization of Israel and the toppling of right-wing rule in order to force an Israeli withdrawal and defeat for the IDF on all fronts, foremost among them Iran," it said.
Meanwhile, Democrats leader Yair Golan said in a post on X that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying "to undermine the election results through an ugly campaign to delegitimize the public's will, and the Arab public in particular".
Seeking to avert a looming American military campaign, the White House has initiated backchannel diplomacy through Qatari mediators to engage Tehran in direct nuclear negotiations. This unexpected outreach comes as regional allies brace for potential conflict following upcoming elections. The move highlights deep strategic calculations within Washington to bypass traditional channels and engage Iran's core security leadership directly.
Fresh economic data is arriving at a pivotal moment as political campaigns make their final appeals to voters concerned about inflation outpacing their wages. Overseas, a parliamentary stalemate in Israel threatens prolonged political uncertainty while regional tensions with Iran continue to loom. At the same time, federal education officials confront legal challenges over mandated debt relief programs for students left stranded by sudden school closures.
With nearly 90 percent of ballots counted, the parliamentary vote has left the 120-member Knesset deadlocked after neither leading bloc secured the 61 seats needed to govern. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition reached 53 seats while the opposition bloc garnered 48 seats. Because both factions pre-emptively rejected partnerships with Arab-majority parties holding 19 seats, the path to building a stable administration remains deeply uncertain.