Israeli Politicsupdated 42m ago3 min read
Netanyahu’s Likud Denounces Election ‘Theft’ as Shin Bet Probes Foreign Interference
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Likud claims the election was stolen by Arab parties as Netanyahu loses majority. Shin Bet investigates possible foreign interference, including Qatar-linked funding to Arab voters.
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Stolen election claims
Israel’s political dispute intensified after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party denounced the legislative election as “stolen,” while opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of trying to delegitimize the results and deny his defeat. The Central Elections Committee chair, Judge Noam Sohlberg, asked the Shin Bet internal security service to investigate “serious suspicions” of foreign interference, and Sohlberg said he could not verify the statements he received but considered their seriousness warranted an inquiry. Israeli media projections with more than 99% of the votes counted gave Netanyahu’s bloc 53 seats and Eisenkot’s opposition space 48 seats, while Arab parties held 19 seats, leaving Netanyahu’s bloc short of the 61-seat majority needed to control the Knesset.
The dispute also turned on whether Arab parties could tilt the power struggle, because the opposition would need an agreement with the Arab forces to reach the majority threshold. Likud linked the alleged meddling to an “Islamization of Israel” and to the overthrow of the right-wing government, while Qatar denied any intervention and called the accusations “ridiculous and dangerous.”
Shin Bet probe limits
Acting Central Elections Committee director general Dean Livne rejected allegations of widespread voter fraud as baseless and wrote that “there is no basis for allegations of systematic violations of election integrity.”
The Shin Bet clarified that its probe of foreign interference was “limited in scope” and was not based on information supplied by any political actor, while it also stressed that it would inform Judge Noam Sohlberg, “the competent authority in this matter.”
Netanyahu’s party amplified unsubstantiated allegations that Arab-led parties had “stolen” the election, and it said the alleged election interference was “aimed at facilitating a foreign takeover of the Knesset, the Islamization of Israel and toppling the right wing government.”
Eisenkot responded that Likud was trying to delegitimize the results, saying, “They are doing this because they lost. They do not have a majority,” and he warned that political actors should not exploit the situation to obstruct the Knesset’s swearing-in.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al Ansari denied involvement, saying, “We categorically deny allegations that Qatar has interfered in Israeli elections or funded any activities intended to influence their outcome,” as the investigation proceeded without public substantiation.
Government formation at stake
The confrontation ran in parallel to negotiations to form a government, and Eisenkot expressed willingness, under conditions, to cooperate with Arab parties, while political resistance persisted within the opposition camp. President Isaac Herzog called for investigating the suspicious elements but warned that the entire Arab population should not be stigmatized, and he framed the moment as a “sensitive moment” that required a full investigation. The dispute also raised questions about what happens if foreign interference allegations are proven, because the Knesset Elections Law’s Section 86 provides a mechanism for annulment and even orders new elections throughout the country, though the prevailing assessment described in the legal framework was that nationwide annulment was “slim to virtually nonexistent.”
Eisenkot said he would not allow obstruction of the opening of the Knesset, and he vowed that “I will not allow even a centimeter’s deviation from the swearing-in of the Knesset as planned,” while he said his teams were preparing legislation for universal conscription and a State Commission of Inquiry into the October 7 massacre. Netanyahu remained at the head of the government during the transition, and the sources described a scenario in which Israel could head toward new elections early next year if attempts to build a majority fail, a path Herzog and Eisenkot said they want to avoid.