Knesset Vote: Likud Loses Majority, Accuses Arab Parties of Theft

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition has lost its majority in the Knesset following a vote that saw historic turnout among Arab citizens. The loss sets the stage for a fragile period of coalition negotiations as the prime minister’s party challenges the integrity of the count.

Election officials released final results early Friday, showing Netanyahu’s bloc secured 53 seats in the 120-member assembly. This is a sharp decline from the 68 seats the bloc held at its peak in the previous parliament. The main opposition group won 48 seats, while Arab-led parties captured the remaining 19 seats. The count is complete, but the results require certification and submission to President Isaac Herzog next Wednesday.

Likud, Netanyahu’s party, intensified allegations of a stolen election after Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, head of the election committee, cited serious suspicions of foreign interference. In a letter to the Shin Bet security agency, Sohlberg requested an investigation into these claims, though he noted the agency could not verify them immediately. The commission stated the probe relies on classified intelligence and warned that public reports about the investigation were entirely unfounded.

Likud released a statement declaring the elections stolen, claiming the interference aimed to facilitate a foreign takeover of the Knesset. The party accused Qatar, a country many Israelis view as a patron of Hamas, of involvement. Qatar quickly denied the allegations, calling them ridiculous and dangerous. Dean Livne, the acting director general of the election commission, said the investigation does not affect the final results submitted to the president nor does it concern any particular sector of the population.

Gadi Eisenkot, the former military chief leading the main opposition, criticized the rhetoric as an attempt to delegitimize the results. He stated that the opposition is acting because they lost and welcomed the focus on Qatari involvement. Eisenkot has indicated he is open to cooperating with Arab-led parties under specific conditions. Ahmad Tibi, second on the Joint List ticket, confirmed that the opposition bloc reached out to discuss replacing the Knesset speaker, and the party said it would support the bloc’s candidate.

Arab-led parties responded to the accusations with mixed reactions. The Joint List asserted that Netanyahu is working to steal the election, while Mansour Abbas, head of the Ra’am party, welcomed the interference investigation but accused Netanyahu of incitement. President Herzog described the situation as a sensitive moment and called for a full investigation. He warned against tarnishing an entire community that exercised its democratic right to vote.

The Shin Bet said its investigation is not meant to cast aspersions on any section of the population that voted lawfully. The election committee told a member of parliament that allegations of systematic violations of electoral integrity are baseless. The committee expects findings from the security agency within one week. If a new government cannot be formed, Israel will face new elections early next year, a step both Herzog and Eisenkot have expressed a desire to avoid.

Netanyahu remains in charge while the race for a 61-seat majority continues. His potential loss of office would trigger accountability for years of corruption allegations and likely begin an inquiry into the security failures that led to the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Small rallies in support of a coalition including Arab parties were held overnight in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, marking a shift from 2021 when no Arab party joined a government for a brief period.