Netanyahu claims Israel's election was 'stolen' by Arab parties as election chief asks Shin Bet to investigate
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.
Netanyahu took to X to allege that the election had been "stolen by Arab parties that support terrorism and the elimination of the Jewish state," pointing to a range of alleged misconduct — bribery, threats, violence, forgery, and the use of banned software to boost turnout. Likud is delivering a substantial body of witness statements and documentary evidence to police, the Shin Bet, and the Central Elections Committee. Four activists linked to the Ra'am party have already been arrested in connection with a bribery probe. Neither Netanyahu's bloc nor Eisenkot's centrist camp reached the 61-seat threshold required for a majority.
Ra'am and the Joint List together look set to take 19 Knesset seats — enough to give them decisive leverage in any coalition negotiations.
Supreme Court judge Noam Sohlberg, chairing the Central Elections Committee, confirmed a request to the Shin Bet to investigate suspicions of "funding provided by foreign entities acting against Israeli interests."
Trump claimed the credit, posting that his October 18 endorsement of Netanyahu "turned the whole tide" from "decisive defeat" to a potential win.
