The election committee says allegations of systematic violations are baseless. The Shin Bet is investigating a foreign-interference claim.
JERUSALEM – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party on Thursday amplified unsubstantiated claims that Arab-led parties had “stolen” the election, potentially with foreign help, as final results showed his bloc had lost its majority in parliament.
Results released by election officials showed Netanyahu’s bloc winning 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, well below the 68 seats it held at its peak in the previous parliament. His main opposition won 48 seats and Arab-led parties won 19. The count is complete, but the results must be certified and submitted to the president next Wednesday.
Likud has spread claims of malfeasance by Arab-led parties since exit polls showed Netanyahu suffering a setback in Tuesday’s vote. It stepped them up after the head of Israel’s election committee, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, said “serious suspicions” of foreign interference had been brought to him. In a letter to the Shin Bet security agency, he said he could not verify the claims and asked the agency to investigate. Likud responded: “The elections in Israel have been stolen!” It claimed, without evidence, that the alleged interference was meant to facilitate a foreign takeover of the Knesset. Israeli media reported Likud members blamed Qatar, which denied the allegation.
The election commission said the investigation is based on classified intelligence. Acting director general Dean Livne said it does not affect the final results and does not concern any particular sector of the population. The committee also wrote to a member of parliament that allegations of systematic violations of electoral integrity are “baseless.” The Shin Bet said its probe was not meant to cast aspersions on a section of the population that voted lawfully, and the committee wants its findings within a week.
Netanyahu’s main rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, said Likud was trying to delegitimize the results because it lost. Yair Golan, head of the Democrats, accused Netanyahu of a delegitimization campaign aimed at Arab voters, and the Joint List said he was working to steal the election. Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas welcomed the investigation but said his party had nothing to do with it and accused Netanyahu of incitement. President Isaac Herzog called it a “sensitive moment,” asked for a full investigation and said an entire community should not be tarnished for voting.
Arab-led parties had a historic showing after a campaign in which Netanyahu and Likud portrayed them as a danger to Israel, which critics called an attempt to marginalize Arab citizens. They make up about 20% of the population. Netanyahu appears to be positioning himself to block any alliance between his opponents and the Arab parties, and has suggested it would be treasonous for Eisenkot to join with them. Eisenkot has said he is open, with conditions, to cooperation. If no government can be formed after multiple attempts, Israel would hold a new election early next year.
This report draws on information from the Associated Press