JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s party on Thursday amplified unsubstantiated accusations that Arab-led parties may have “stolen” the election with the help of foreign aid as final results showed his bloc lost its parliamentary majority.
The opposition accused Netanyahu of trying to undermine the legitimacy of the election by demonizing Arab people following a historic performance by Arab-led parties. If other opposition parties team up with Arab parties – a rare and politically risky move – they could potentially form a majority government in the Knesset (Israel’s parliament).
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Results released by election officials on Thursday showed Netanyahu’s bloc winning 53 seats in the 120-member parliament, well below the 68 seats he controlled at the height of the previous parliament. His main opposition won 48 seats, with Arab-led parties another 19.
The counting of votes has been completed, but the results still need to be certified and presented to the country’s president next Wednesday.
Committee investigates possible foreign interference
Netanyahu’s Likud party has been spreading accusations of malfeasance by Arab-led parties since exit polls showed the prime minister suffered a setback in Tuesday’s vote. But the rhetoric escalated after Supreme Court Justice Noam Solberg, chairman of Israel’s election committee, said he had been raised with “serious doubts” about foreign interference.
Solberg said in a letter to the Shin Bet security agency that he could not verify the claims. But given the seriousness of the incident, he asked the agency to investigate.
Netanyahu’s party responded with an incendiary statement: “Israel’s election was stolen!” It claimed without evidence that the so-called election interference was “aimed at promoting a foreign takeover of the Knesset, the Islamization of Israel and the overthrow of a right-wing government.”
Israeli media reported that members of Netanyahu’s party blamed Qatar, which many Israelis view as a patron of the Gaza-based militant group Hamas.
Qatar quickly denied it, calling the accusations “ridiculous and dangerous.”
The electoral commission said when announcing the results earlier on Friday that the investigation was based on confidential intelligence. In a video statement, the commission’s acting director general, Dean Livne, did not elaborate but warned reports of an investigation were “completely unfounded.”
“This does not affect the final outcome that will be presented to the president, nor does it address any specific group of people,” he said.
Netanyahu’s opponents accuse him of sabotaging vote
Netanyahu’s main rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, said Likud was trying to delegitimize the election results. “They did it because they lost,” he said.
Eisenkot scoffed at accusations of foreign interference in a tongue-in-cheek statement, saying: “I welcome the fact that Netanyahu has finally condemned Qatar’s involvement in the state of Israel.”
Netanyahu has long faced accusations that his former top aides accepted funds from Qatar.
By casting doubt on the vote, Netanyahu appears to be seeking to head off any potential alliance between his opponents and Arab parties. Netanyahu said Eisenkot’s joining of an Arab party would be considered treason and Arab parties could provide Eisenkot with the support he needs to overthrow Netanyahu.
The Shin Bet, which sought to calm tensions, said its investigation was not aimed at “defaming” the entire population who “exercise their right to vote in a democratic and legal manner.”
The Electoral Commission also issued a warning in a letter to relevant MPs. The statement said that while the investigation was ongoing, “allegations of systemic violations of election integrity are unfounded.”
The committee expects the Shin Bet to have the results of its investigation within a week.
Netanyahu campaigned on anti-Arab sentiment
Even before the vote, Netanyahu and Likud painted Arab-led parties as a threat to Israel, which critics said was an attempt to further marginalize Arab citizens. Palestinian Arab citizens make up 20% of the population, but are often viewed with suspicion because of their sympathy for other Palestinians.
Those campaign attacks, combined with anger at a divided Netanyahu and his far-right government, brought angry Arabs to the polls like never before.
On Thursday, Democratic leader Yair Golan accused Netanyahu of “trying to undermine the results of the election through an ugly campaign of delegitimization that goes against the will of the public, especially the Arab public.”
“Netanyahu is working hard to steal the election,” the Arab-led Joint List party claimed on Thursday.
Mansour Abbas, chairman of the Arab-led Ra’am party, welcomed the investigation into election interference and said the party had nothing to do with the case, while accusing Netanyahu of sedition.
President Isaac Herzog called it a “sensitive moment” and called for a full investigation. “We must not taint entire communities seeking to exercise their right to vote and actively participate in our democracy,” he warned.
Parties seek alliances, face tough decisions
The developments compound the difficult decisions ahead in the coming weeks. Among them is whether some Jewish and Arab parties will form a historic alliance, or whether some parties committed to overthrowing Netanyahu will abandon that alliance and join forces with him.
watch: What’s next for Israel after elections create political deadlock
Although the race to control the 61-seat majority needed to control the 120-seat parliament has ended, Netanyahu remains in power.
If Netanyahu steps down, it would set off a chain of events that critics say he has been trying to avoid. He will be held accountable for years-long corruption charges, and an investigation will almost certainly begin into the security failures that led to the devastating Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.
Eisenkot opens door to cooperation with Arab-led parties
Even without playing a role in the coalition, Arab-led parties can assert their growing power by supporting other Netanyahu opponents in the next parliament. This could include electing a new speaker, giving them control of the agenda and possibly allowing them to advance and pass legislation before a new government is formed.
Eisenkot said he was willing to join forces with Arab-led parties under conditions. Ahmed Tibi, the second-place finisher on the Arab-led Joint List, told Army Radio that the opposition group had contacted him to discuss changing the parliament speaker and he told them the party would support the group’s candidate.
Small rallies were held overnight in Tel Aviv and more conservative Jerusalem in support of the coalition, which includes Arab-led parties. As of 2021, no Arab party has joined the coalition government, and only briefly.
If multiple attempts fail to form a new government, Israel will face new elections early next year. On Wednesday, Herzog said he wanted to avoid that step — something Eisenkot also said.
The new elections bring new questions, including whether Arab citizens will again go to the polls in large numbers, and whether the tens of thousands of Israelis who flew home to vote will do so again. Many said they took the step to save the country from Netanyahu.
Said reported from Absnan, Israel. Associated Press reporters across Israel contributed.
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