Netanyahu alleges foreign funding in election loss as opponents claim he seeks to block new Knesset
The Israeli prime minister asked security services to investigate vote-buying claims after his coalition lost its majority on Tuesday, prompting sharp rebuttals from opposition leaders and government officials.
By Isabella Melnyk ·
Benjamin Netanyahu has requested that Israel’s internal security service, Shin Bet, investigate allegations of vote buying in Palestinian communities following the Tuesday election. The prime minister’s coalition lost its parliamentary majority in that vote, ending four years in power. Netanyahu claimed that Arab Israeli parties used foreign backing to steal the result.
The prime minister posted a statement from his Likud party on X late Wednesday. The text described the alleged violations as an attack on democracy aimed at a foreign takeover of the Knesset. It also cited the Islamisation of Israel and the overthrow of rightwing rule as potential outcomes of the opposition’s actions.
Gadi Eisenkot, the leader of the main opposition bloc, accused Likud of launching a coordinated campaign to delegitimise the election results. Eisenkot stated in a video message that the move appeared designed to derail the outcome. He emphasised that any investigation must be conducted with utmost caution and without favour.
Eisenkot insisted that the inquiry should not delay the convening of the newly elected Knesset. The body is due to be sworn in within 14 days of the election. He argued that the process must move forward regardless of the ongoing scrutiny.
Government officials quickly distanced themselves from the prime minister’s claims. The acting director general of the central elections committee, Dean Livneh, said there appeared to be no basis for the allegations. Police officials quoted in the Israeli press described the claims as groundless, noting that voting had been relatively trouble-free.
President Isaac Herzog rebuked Netanyahu for tarnishing an entire community. He urged political leaders to avoid damaging the reputation of citizens who exercised their right to vote. Herzog called for respect for the democratic participation of the Arab Israeli population.
Press reports identified Qatar as the foreign power allegedly funding the vote-buying, though Likud statements did not name the country. Majed al-Ansari, an adviser to Qatar’s prime minister, said the government categorically denied any involvement in the Israeli elections.
With nearly all votes counted, Netanyahu’s coalition holds 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset. Eisenkot’s bloc holds 48 seats. The Joint List and Ra’am, two Arab Israeli parties, hold 19 seats combined. This is a historic high for the Arab Israeli community, which makes up about a fifth of the population.
Record turnout among Arab Israelis appeared driven by concern over routine discrimination. Fears rose that conditions could worsen if national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich secured another term. Ben-Gvir called for the arrest of Arab party leaders on Thursday, while Smotrich demanded they undergo Shin Bet interrogation.
In Nazareth, the largest majority-Palestinian town, voting proceeded briskly on Tuesday. Some ballot packets arrived in Hebrew alone rather than in both Hebrew and Arabic. Election workers said monitors from far-right parties attempted procedural ploys to slow voting but were largely unsuccessful. Leaders of the Joint List and the Change bloc have ruled out a formal coalition but discussed tactical voting to unseat Knesset speaker Amir Ohana.
Source: The Guardian
