Israeli Opposition Blames Netanyahu of Election Delegitimisation Campaign
Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot and Arab parties accuse Netanyahu of accusing foreign interference to block coalition talks.
Wow—the post‑election drama in Israel has taken a sharp turn as the main opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot and leaders of the Arab‑led Joint List and Ra'am parties publicly denounced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s accusations of foreign interference.
Netanyahu’s Likud party, which fell short of a majority, alleged that the Arab parties “stole” the election and that the home security agency Shin Bet is probing whether they received illegal funding from Qatar and Turkey.
Qatar’s foreign ministry slammed the claim as “ridiculous and dangerous,” calling it a disinformation campaign aimed at Doha.
The final tally confirmed that neither Netanyahu’s bloc (53 seats) nor the Jewish opposition bloc led by Eisenkot (48 seats) achieved a majority in the 120‑seat Knesset.
Defying expectations, the two Arab party lists—The Joint List and Ra'am—secured a record 19 seats, a surge driven by higher turnout among Arab voters, positioning them as potential kingmakers.
On Thursday Likud alleged that voters had been “bribed” to support Arab parties after the head of the Central Elections Committee (CEC) asked Shin Bet to investigate “serious suspicions” of foreign interference.
Both Arab parties rejected the allegation; the Joint List called it baseless, and the CEC later received a claim that Qatar had funded efforts to boost Arab‑community turnout, a claim Qatar “categorically” denied.
Netanyahu and Likud framed the allegations as a “political earthquake” and an “attack on democracy,” suggesting an effort to remove their right‑wing government.
Shin Bet later clarified that its investigation 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, 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.”
Activists holding a placard reading “Love your neighbour” urged Eisenkot to try forming a government that includes Arab‑led parties, highlighting the pressure on the opposition to negotiate with the new kingmakers.
The controversy now centers on whether Netanyahu’s accusations will effectively block any coalition that involves the Joint List and Ra'am, leaving Eisenkot’s bloc with limited paths to power.
