On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Arab political parties in Israel of committing election fraud following a significant increase in Arab voter turnout during the current Knesset elections.
Netanyahu claimed that these parties “support terrorism and the elimination of the Jewish state”—allegations he backed with accusations of “stealing” the elections through serious criminal activities such as bribery, threats, violence, forgeries, and illicit software used to influence voters, as reported in a translated statement he shared on X.
The leading Arab parties in the election are Ra’am and the Joint List, as indicated by the Times of Israel.
While representing his Likud party, Netanyahu asserted that the Arab factions attempted to manipulate the elections using “thousands of envelopes with cash, threats and violence aimed at polling station members, double voting, discrepancies between envelopes and actual voters, prohibited mobilization tactics, and more.”
In light of these claims, his party called for an investigation into the Arab parties by law enforcement, including the Shin Bet and the Central Elections Committee, which oversees Knesset elections.
He contended that the Arab parties severely undermined electoral integrity and posed a threat to Israeli democracy. “Law enforcement must respond decisively and promptly,” he urged.
By Wednesday afternoon, nearly 90% of ballots had been counted. Netanyahu’s coalition, which includes Likud, Shas, United Torah Judaism, Otzma Yehudit, and Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism, was slated to secure 53 seats, roughly 44% of the total 120 seats in the Knesset. Meanwhile, main opposition candidate Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashav party appeared set to gain 48 seats. Both rival blocs remained far from achieving a 61-seat majority, indicating a possible deadlock.
Historically, the two main Arab parties drew a record 19 seats combined—more than double their previous total of nine, as noted by the same source. This surge in Arab voter participation seems focused on displacing Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition.
Netanyahu’s projected 53 seats represent a notable decrease from the 68 they currently hold in the Knesset, marking a significant change in the political landscape.
There were no indications from the Trump administration regarding a decision to intervene in the formation of an Israeli governing coalition as the results continued to emerge, according to an official.
