Israeli opposition alleges Netanyahu seeks to delegitimize election results
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Opposition leaders claim Prime Minister Netanyahu is using accusations of foreign interference to undermine Arab parties after his coalition lost its majority.
Israel's president is set to appoint a party leader who is believed to have the best chance of forming a majority government, with a 42-day window for the first nominee, followed by 28 days for a second and 14 days for a third before new elections are called.
On Thursday, Likud accused voters of being "bribed" to support Arab parties after the head of the Central Elections Committee asked Shin Bet to investigate "serious suspicions" of foreign interference. Shin Bet later clarified that its probe did not implicate an entire community that voted legally, and acting CEC Director General Dean Livne said there was "no basis for allegations of systematic violations of election integrity."
Eisenkot, who was briefed on the investigation, said it was "too early to determine what happened, or if anything happened at all," and accused Netanyahu of running "an orchestrated and organized campaign to delegitimize the election results."
Balad chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh of the Joint List rejected the claim, describing it as a "racist blood libel" and warning that security agencies were being called upon to use force to overturn the results.
Netanyahu has repeatedly criticized high Arab turnout, labeling it an "emergency" and a "matter of life or death" for the Israeli right, and has shared AI-generated images of Arab voters to mobilize right-wing supporters. Arab Israelis, who constitute about one-fifth of the population, turned out in larger numbers this election, motivated by a desire to prevent a far-right governing coalition.
Analysts say the final vote leaves three realistic paths for government formation: a national unity arrangement involving Netanyahu and Eisenkot, a right-wing coalition with Netanyahu and defectors from Eisenkot's bloc, or an Eisenkot-led government supported by Arab parties.