Following Tuesday’s election results, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party alleged that Arab Israeli political parties had engaged in vote buying and other irregularities funded by foreign sources. Netanyahu and his allies called for the internal security service to investigate these claims. Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot characterized the effort as a coordinated campaign to delegitimize the election outcome.
The allegations drew swift rebuttals from multiple government institutions and officials. The election committee, police representatives, and various government officials stated they found no evidence supporting Netanyahu’s claims, noting that voting had proceeded relatively smoothly. President Isaac Herzog publicly criticized the accusations, stating that political leaders should not tarnish communities exercising their democratic rights. Qatar, reportedly identified in press accounts as the alleged foreign actor, categorically denied any involvement in the election.
Tuesday’s vote resulted in Netanyahu’s far-right coalition losing its majority after four years in governing. The opposition Jewish bloc similarly fell short of a majority, leaving two Arab Israeli parties—the Joint List and Ra’am—as potential kingmakers. Arab party leaders characterized Netanyahu’s allegations as attempts to prevent cooperation between Jewish and Arab opposition parties in the newly elected Knesset, particularly regarding efforts to replace the incumbent speaker and advance legislation.
Arab Israeli turnout reached record levels, reportedly driven by concerns about discrimination and the political influence of far-right government figures. Observers noted that voting in Palestinian-majority areas proceeded with few irregularities, though some procedural irregularities favoring vote suppression were documented. With nearly all votes counted, Netanyahu’s coalition held 53 seats in the 120-seat parliament, the opposition bloc held 48, and the two Arab parties together held 19 seats—a historic high for the Arab Israeli community.
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett highlighted the contradiction in Netanyahu’s allegations, noting that the Israeli leader’s own political advisers faced separate accusations of accepting Qatari funding for promotional activities.
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