Netanyahu alleges fraud as Arab parties make historic gains

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party have accused Arab parties of election fraud following Israel's general election, France 24, Al Jazeera, and the New York Post reported. Final election results showed no clear winner, leaving Netanyahu's bloc well short of a majority in the 120-seat Knesset, Euronews and the South China Morning Post reported. [1][2][3][4][7]

Euronews and The Times of Israel reported that Netanyahu's bloc finished with 53 seats, while the opposition camp, led by Gadi Eisenkot of the centrist Yashar party, secured 48 seats. Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party remained the largest single party with 27 seats. Arab political parties won a record 19 seats between them, making them potential kingmakers in forming the next governing coalition, according to France 24, Euronews, and The Times of Israel. [1][2][10]

The New York Post reported that Noah Sohlberg, head of the Central Elections Committee, asked the domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet to investigate potential foreign meddling by external actors operating against Israeli interests. The probe was requested after Netanyahu and his far-right allies alleged voter fraud over high Arab voter turnout. Arab parties strongly denied the allegations, the New York Post reported. [4]

Legislative elections were held in Israel on 27 October 2026 to elect the 26th Knesset and determine the governing coalition, as recorded in Wikipedia. High turnout among Arab citizens had previously positioned Arab political parties to win a pivotal role in the election, as FTMQ News reported earlier. [13][16]

Israel now faces a lengthy period of coalition bargaining and haggling to form a majority government, Euronews, CNBC, and the South China Morning Post reported. [2][5][6][7]