Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's party has amplified unsubstantiated allegations that Arab-led parties had “stolen” the election, potentially with foreign assistance, as final results showed his bloc had lost its majority in parliament.
asserted
bloc → amplify → parliament
The opposition accused Mr. Netanyahu of demonising the Arab population after a historic showing by Arab-led parties in an attempt to delegitimise the election.
asserted
opposition → accuse → election
If the rest of the opposition teams up with Arab parties, a rare and politically risky move, they could potentially form a majority government in parliament, the Knesset.
uncertain
they → team → parliament
Results released by election officials on Thursday (October 29, 2026) showed Mr. Netanyahu's bloc winning 53 seats in the 120-member assembly, well below the 68 seats it had controlled at its peak in the previous parliament.
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it → release → parliament
His main opposition won 48 seats and Arab-led parties secured the other 19.
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parties → win → 19
The count is complete, but the results still need to be certified and submitted to the country's president next Wednesday (October 28).
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results → need → president
Mr. Netanyahu's party, Likud, has been spreading claims of malfeasance by Arab-led parties since exit polls indicated the Prime Minister had suffered a setback in Tuesday's (October 27) vote.
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Minister → spread → vote
But it ramped up the rhetoric after the head of Israel's election committee, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, said that “serious suspicions” of foreign interference had been brought before him.
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suspicions → ramp → him
In a letter to the Shin Bet security agency, Mr. Sohlberg said he could not verify the claims.
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he → say → claims
But given their serious nature, he asked the agency to investigate.
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he → give → agency
Mr. Netanyahu's party responded with an inflammatory statement: "The elections in Israel have been stolen!” it said, claiming — without evidence — that the alleged election interference was “aimed at facilitating a foreign takeover of the Knesset, the Islamisation of Israel and toppling of the right wing government.”
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interference → respond → government
Israeli media reported that members of Mr. Netanyahu's party were accusing Qatar — a country that many Israelis view as a patron of Hamas, the Gaza-based militant group.
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Israelis → report → Hamas
Qatar issued a quick denial, calling the allegations “ridiculous and dangerous.”
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Qatar → issue → allegations
As it announced its results early on Wednesday (October 28), the election commission said the investigation was based on classified intelligence.
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investigation → announce → intelligence
It did not elaborate but warned of “unfounded” reports surrounding the probe.
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It → elaborate → probe
“It does not affect the final results that will be submitted to the President, nor does it concern any particular sector of the population,” it said.
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it → affect → population
Netanyahu’s opponents accuse him of undermining vote
Mr.
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opponents → accuse → vote
Netanyahu's main rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, said Likud was trying to delegitimise the results.
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Likud → say → results
“They are doing this because they lost,” he said.
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he → do → this
Mr. Eisenkot ridiculed the accusation of foreign interference with a tongue-in-cheek statement, saying: “I welcome the fact that Netanyahu is finally condemning Qatari involvement in the State of Israel.”
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Netanyahu → ridicule → Israel
Mr. Netanyahu has long faced accusations that former top aides of his accepted money from Qatar.
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aides → face → Qatar
By casting doubt on the vote, Mr. Netanyahu appeared to be positioning himself to block any potential alliance between his opponents and the Arab parties.
asserted
Netanyahu → cast → opponents
Mr. Netanyahu has suggested that it would be treasonous for Mr. Eisenkot to join with Arab parties.
uncertain
Eisenkot → suggest → parties
The projected outcome of the results was expected to show both Mr. Netanyahu's bloc of religious and nationalist allies and his more secular and socially liberal opponents falling short of a parliamentary majority required to form a new government.
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bloc → project → government
The Arab parties would hold the remaining seats and could potentially give Mr. Eisenkot the backing he needs to oust Mr. Netanyahu.
uncertain
he → hold → Netanyahu
The Shin Bet, seeking to calm tensions, said its investigation was not meant to “cast aspersions” on an entire section of the population that "exercised its right to vote in a democratic and lawful manner.”
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that → seek → manner
The elections committee also sounded a note of caution in a letter written to a concerned member of parliament.
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committee → sound → parliament
It said that even though an investigation was taking place, “allegations of systematic violations of electoral integrity are baseless.”
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allegations → say → integrity
The committee wants findings from the Shin Bet within the week.
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committee → want → week
Israeli law requires election results to be certified by November 4.
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results → require → November
Netanyahu campaigned on anti-Arab sentiment
Even ahead of the vote, Mr. Netanyahu and Likud painted the Arab-led parties as a danger to Israel, which critics called an attempt to further marginalize Arab citizens.
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critics → campaign → citizens
Arab citizens of Palestinian descent make up 20% of the population but are often viewed with suspicion because of their sympathies with other Palestinians.
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citizens → make → Palestinians
Those campaign attacks, along with anger over the divisive Mr. Netanyahu and his far-right government, brought outraged Arabs to the polls like never before.
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attacks → bring → polls
On Thursday (October 29), Yair Golan, head of the Democrats party, accused Mr. Netanyahu of “attempting to undermine the election results through an ugly delegitimization campaign directed against the will of the public — and against the Arab public in particular.”
“Netanyahu is working to steal the election,” the Arab-led Joint List party asserted on Thursday (October 29).
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party → accuse → Thursday
The head of the Arab-led Ra'am party, Mansour Abbas, welcomed the investigation into election interference and said his party had nothing to do with the case, while accusing Mr. Netanyahu of a campaign of incitement.
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party → lead → incitement
President Isaac Herzog called it a “sensitive moment” and called for a full investigation.
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Herzog → call → investigation
He warned that “we must not tarnish an entire community that sought to exercise its right to vote and take an active part in democracy.”
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that → warn → democracy
Difficult decisions ahead as parties seek coalitions
The developments amplified the difficult decisions for the weeks ahead.
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developments → seek → weeks
Those include whether some Jewish and Arab parties would team up in a historic alliance, or whether some parties that campaigned on ousting Mr. Netanyahu would toss that aside and join forces with him.
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that → include → him
While the race for a 61-seat majority needed to control the 120-seat Knesset plays out, Mr. Netanyahu remains in charge.
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Netanyahu → need → charge
…and 12 more, not listed.
The Aporia
