Netanyahu's Likud claims foreign meddling as Arab parties win record Knesset seats

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party has accused Israel’s Arab‑led parties of receiving illegal foreign funding and “stealing” the election, a charge denounced by opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot and Arab party heads, according to BBC News.

What allegations did Likud make after the election?

Likud said the Central Elections Committee asked Shin Bet to probe “serious suspicions” that Qatar and Turkey funded Arab voters, and claimed voters were “bribed” to support the Joint List and Ra’am, BBC News reported.

How have the Arab parties and Qatar responded?

Both the Joint List and Ra’am rejected the accusations as baseless, and Qatar’s foreign ministry called the claims “ridiculous and dangerous,” labeling them a disinformation campaign, BBC News said.

What are the possible paths to forming a government?

With Netanyahu’s bloc at 53 seats, Eisenkot’s at 48 and the Arab parties holding a record 19 seats in the 120‑seat Knesset, no side commands a majority; analysts cite three scenarios – a national unity government, a right‑wing coalition with defectors, or an Eisenkot‑led minority administration supported by the Arab lists, BBC News noted.

The Shin Bet later clarified its probe did not implicate an entire community, and CEC Director General Dean Livne said there was “no basis for allegations of systematic violations of election integrity.” Eisenkot called the accusations an “orchestrated campaign to delegitimize the election results,” while Balad chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh dismissed them as a “racist blood libel.” Netanyahu had earlier described high Arab turnout as an “emergency” and shared AI‑generated images of Arab voters to mobilise his base, BBC News added.