Netanyahu Claims Stolen Election as Opposition Eyes Arab Coalition

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party have alleged that Arab-led parties stole the recent Israeli elections, claiming the results were manipulated potentially with foreign assistance from Qatar. Final projections indicate Netanyahu's bloc holds 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, while opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot holds 48 and Arab-led parties hold 19. A coalition between Eisenkot and Arab parties would create a 67-seat majority, effectively ousting Netanyahu.

While Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg requested a Shin Bet investigation into suspicions of foreign interference, the elections committee described allegations of systematic violations as baseless. The Government of Qatar has denied the claims, calling them ridiculous and dangerous. Gadi Eisenkot has accused Netanyahu of demonizing Arab citizens to delegitimize the results, stating the Prime Minister is acting this way because he lost.

Public tensions have escalated with protests in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, where demonstrators urged Eisenkot to form a government with Arab-majority parties. However, internal opposition divisions remain. While some leaders support the alliance, Avigdor Liberman of Yisrael Beitenu rejects any reliance on Arab parties. Eisenkot has conditioned any coalition on the recognition of Israel as a Jewish, democratic, and liberal state and the recognition of Hamas as a terrorist organization. President Isaac Herzog is expected to grant a mandate to form a government by Thursday.