Oct. 31 — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has alleged foreign interference by regional states such as Qatar and Turkey following an inconclusive parliamentary election that stripped his right-wing coalition of a working majority in the 120-seat Knesset.
The charges, branded by opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot as a calculated bid to delegitimize the vote and stave off defeat, have prompted the Shin Bet domestic security service to review allegations regarding external funding tied to Arab voter turnout campaigns.
Official vote tallies confirmed a fractured parliament where no faction secured the 61-seat threshold required to govern autonomously. Upending traditional electoral projections, unprecedented participation among Arab citizens—who constitute roughly a fifth of Israel’s population—propelled Arab-led factions into decisive kingmaker status. The Joint List and the United Arab List (Ra’am) jointly captured a record 19 seats, whereas Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc secured 53 seats and Eisenkot’s opposition alliance finished with 48.
Following an inquiry request from Central Elections Committee (CEC) Chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg to Shin Bet Director David Zini concerning unverified claims of unlawful external influence, Netanyahu’s Likud party escalated its rhetoric. Likud alleged that foreign financial networks had bankrolled Arab voter mobilization and claimed electoral integrity had been subverted.
The accusations drew fierce pushback across the region. Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the claims as “ridiculous and dangerous” political posturing. Within Israel, Sami Abu Shehadeh, chairman of the Balad faction within the Joint List, dismissed the allegations as racist scapegoating by an incumbent administration unwilling to concede democratic loss.
Political observers noted that Netanyahu’s allegations aim to preemptively deter Eisenkot from negotiating external parliamentary backing with Arab lawmakers to unseat the current government.
Addressing public concern, the Shin Bet clarified that its inquiries are strictly confined to actionable intelligence and not intended to cast suspicion on Arab citizens exercising lawful democratic rights. Simultaneously, the Central Elections Committee underscored that there is no evidence of systemic procedural violations, attributing the surge in Arab participation to a concerted public push against hardline nationalist policies.