Israeli Opposition Accuses Netanyahu of Delegitimizing 19-Seat Arab Vote After 53-Seat Bloc Loss
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Oct 29
Israeli Opposition Accuses Netanyahu of Delegitimizing 19-Seat Arab Vote After 53-Seat Bloc Loss
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Oct 29
Summary
Gadi Eisenkot and Arab party leaders accused Benjamin Netanyahu of mounting an organized campaign to undermine the election after his bloc fell to 53 seats and lost its parliamentary majority.
Likud alleged foreign-backed bribery and voter manipulation in Arab communities, prompting a Shin Bet probe after election officials cited serious suspicions tied to possible Qatar and Turkey funding.
Shin Bet later said the investigation did not implicate an entire community, and the acting Central Elections Committee chief said there was no basis for claims of systematic election-integrity violations.
The dispute centers on Arab parties' record 19 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, which could make them kingmakers and give Eisenkot's 48-seat bloc its clearest path to power.
Qatar denied the allegations as disinformation, while the deadlock leaves Israel weighing a Netanyahu-Eisenkot unity deal, defections to the right, or an Eisenkot minority government backed by Arab parties.