The Election in Israel

Netanyahu claims the election was “stolen” by Arab parties

In a post on X, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accuses the country’s Arab parties of widespread electoral fraud, without providing concrete evidence.

“The election in the State of Israel was stolen by Arab parties,” he writes.

Netanyahu claims that his party, Likud, has submitted evidence to the police and the election committee regarding issues such as vote-buying, intimidation, violence, and fraud at Arab polling stations. In his post, he calls for an investigation into the alleged electoral fraud.

According to the election committee, there were fewer reports of problems at polling stations than in other election years, the AP reports.

Together, the two largest Arab parties appear set to win 19 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, or approximately 15 percent of the vote.

No one wants to cooperate with Arab parties – but is there any alternative?

No single party has ever secured the 61 seats required to form a majority government in the Knesset, *The Guardian* reports. And yesterday’s election shows no sign of breaking that trend.

At the same time, forming coalitions has proven difficult in Israel. Both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and challenger Gadi Eisenkot have distanced themselves from the Arab parties—parties that would likely act as kingmakers in any negotiations, the AP reports.

But what other alternatives are there? According to The Guardian, a minority government—relying on different parties for different issues—could be a possibility. The Joint List, a political alliance of Arab parties, has offered to act as a "safety net" for those who succeed in ousting Netanyahu from power.

Another possibility, according to Israeli commentators, is that Netanyahu might part ways with his allies among the far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties in order to cooperate with Eisenkot instead. Observers point out, among other things, that both party leaders share similar views on many security policy issues.

If no candidate succeeds in forming a government, a new election will be held. This is not an unfamiliar scenario in Israel, where five elections took place between 2019 and 2022 following failed attempts to form a government.

Tight race between the blocs as half the votes are counted

Half of the votes in the Israeli election have now been counted, and the race between the blocs remains tight. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the right-wing camp currently hold a narrow lead, but they fall short of the 61 seats required for an outright majority.

With 57 percent of the votes counted, Netanyahu’s coalition holds 55 seats, while the opposition holds 49, according to The Times of Israel. These figures are being updated continuously and are likely to shift somewhat before the final election results are confirmed. According to exit polls, the opposition appears set to become the largest bloc.

Approximately ten percent of the votes are not expected to be counted until Thursday. These include ballots cast by voters in special polling stations, such as soldiers, diplomats, and prisoners.