Israeli election chief seeks Shin Bet probe of foreign funding after Netanyahu claims the vote was 'stolen' by Arab parties
Benjamin Netanyahu, whose Likud party has filed witness statements and physical evidence with Israeli police alleging cash-filled envelopes containing Ra'am ballots were distributed to manipulate the vote.Arab parties surged to a projected record 18 or 19 seats, complicating any Gadi Eisenkot-led coalition that has been reluctant to depend on their backing.
Noah Sohlberg, head of Israel's Central Elections Committee, has written to Shin Bet demanding an investigation into "serious suspicions" of foreign funding — specifically that Qatar channelled money to boost Arab voter turnout — while simultaneously stating the election's integrity was not "systematically compromised." Netanyahu's Likud submitted hundreds of witness statements alleging bribery, forgery, violence and prohibited voter-mobilisation software in Arab polling stations. Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot called it "a coordinated, organised campaign" to delegitimise the result and block any Arab-backed government.
Arab parties the Joint List and Ra'am won a record 19 Knesset seats, leaving Netanyahu's bloc on 53 and Eisenkot's on 48 — both short of the 61 needed for a majority.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog rebuked Netanyahu for "tarnishing an entire community" that exercised its democratic right, while Qatar's foreign ministry dismissed the funding allegations as "ridiculous and dangerous."
Arab turnout surged to roughly 80% in some localities — up from 53% nationally in 2022 — making the two parties potential kingmakers and the key target of Netanyahu's fraud claims.
