Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party has officially accused the country's Arab political forces of rigging the parliamentary elections and demanded a large-scale investigation. According to the political party, it possesses hundreds of testimonials and evidence of potential violations, which it plans to hand over to law enforcement agencies, the Shin Bet internal security service, and the Central Election Commission.
Details of the accusations and the election commission's response
Likud leaders claim that Arab parties allegedly resorted to vote-buying, threats, physical violence, election fraud, and the use of prohibited software to mobilize voters. In addition, party representatives accused these political forces of supporting terrorism and seeking to destroy the Jewish state. Israel's Central Election Commission confirmed receipt of the appeal and stated it is reviewing the matter, although a commission official had previously publicly rejected allegations of fraud.
Preliminary voting results and parliamentary deadlock
According to preliminary counts after processing 85% of the ballots, the right-wing bloc led by Benjamin Netanyahu secured 53 out of 120 seats in the Knesset. The main opposition bloc led by the Yashar party of former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot could count on 48 mandates, while the Arab parties Ra'am and the Joint List together won 19 seats. To successfully form a coalition government, either bloc must secure the support of at least 61 deputies.
Positions of political leaders and next steps
Amid inconclusive results, opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot described the election outcome as a defeat for the incumbent prime minister and openly called on him to resign. Benjamin Netanyahu has not officially declared victory, but stressed that his coalition won a decisive majority among Jewish voters. Next week, Israeli President Isaac Herzog is scheduled to begin official consultations with the leaders of all parties that entered parliament to determine the prospects of forming a cabinet and avoid a repeat election.
