Israeli leader Netanyahu accused of using ‘ugly’ smear tactics to cling to power

The surprising result was not a clear victory for either major side. Netanyahu’s far-right coalition lost its majority after four years, while the main Jewish opposition bloc also fell short. The Joint List and Ra’am together won 19 seats, giving Arab Israeli parties an unusually powerful position in the new Knesset.

Netanyahu responded by alleging that Arab parties had used foreign money to buy votes and mobilise voters. Likud described this as an attempted “foreign takeover” and warned against cooperation with the Arab parties. Press reports identified Qatar as the alleged source, but Qatar categorically denied involvement.

The claims were quickly challenged. The central elections committee said there appeared to be no basis for them, and police officials described voting as relatively trouble-free. Netanyahu’s opponents said the allegations were designed to delegitimise the result and prevent Jewish and Arab opposition parties from cooperating.

The Knesset is Israel’s national parliament. It has 120 seats, and the elected members represent competing political parties. The balance of seats matters because a governing coalition needs enough parliamentary support to remain in power and advance its legislation.

This election left no side with a straightforward majority. Netanyahu’s coalition held 53 seats, the main opposition bloc held 48, and the Joint List and Ra’am held 19 together. Those numbers meant the Arab parties could influence votes even without leading the largest bloc.

The Knesset also controls important parliamentary procedures. In this case, opposition parties discussed tactical voting to remove Amir Ohana, a Likud politician, as speaker. They also considered passing consensus legislation, including a proposed commission of inquiry into security failures. The new Knesset was due to be sworn in within 14 days.

The final political map was unusually divided. Netanyahu’s coalition won 53 of the Knesset’s 120 seats. The main Jewish opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot won 48. The Joint List and Ra’am, the two Arab Israeli parties, won 19 seats together.

No group reached the 61 seats needed to control a 120-seat parliament by itself. Netanyahu’s coalition therefore lost the majority it had held for four years. The opposition bloc also lacked enough seats to govern alone, despite coming close to the coalition’s total.

The 19 Arab Israeli seats became decisive because the two larger camps were short of a majority. Their position gave them leverage over votes to replace the Knesset speaker and advance legislation. The result also represented a historic high for Arab Israeli representation, as Palestinian citizens make up about one-fifth of Israel’s population.

The Arab parties are not the largest bloc, but they occupy the position that can decide the outcome. Netanyahu’s coalition has 53 seats, while the main opposition bloc has 48. Neither reaches the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.

That leaves 19 seats held by the Joint List and Ra’am. If their members support opposition proposals, they could help replace the Knesset speaker, Amir Ohana, and pass some legislation. Their votes could therefore affect parliamentary control without requiring them to form a formal coalition.

The parties have ruled out a formal coalition with the Zionist “Change” bloc. However, officials from both sides discussed tactical voting. That arrangement could be limited to particular votes rather than a governing partnership. Netanyahu’s accusations appeared aimed at stopping such cooperation before the new Knesset convened.

The immediate consequence would be a challenge to the coalition’s control of parliament. The Joint List and Ra’am could join opposition members in tactical votes to unseat Amir Ohana, the Likud speaker, even without joining a formal government coalition.

The mechanism is arithmetic. Netanyahu’s coalition has 53 seats, while the opposition bloc has 48 and the Arab parties have 19. Opposition cooperation with the Arab parties could create a voting majority for specific parliamentary decisions. Officials discussed using that majority to replace the speaker and pass consensus legislation.

This would not automatically create a new government. The opposition leaders ruled out a formal coalition, and the article does not say that a replacement government had been formed. But cooperation could weaken the incumbent coalition, advance investigations such as a proposed inquiry into security failures, and alter parliamentary control after the new Knesset is sworn in.

The record turnout mattered because Arab Israelis, Palestinians with Israeli citizenship, make up about a fifth of Israel’s population. Their participation translated into a historic high of 19 Knesset seats for the Joint List and Ra’am. That gave the community greater parliamentary influence than before.

The article links the turnout to anger over routine discrimination and fear of worse treatment under extremist and openly racist ministers. It names Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich as figures whose return to office worried many Arab voters. Voting in Nazareth was brisk, with few apparent irregularities.

Politically, the turnout changed the balance between the two main blocs. The Arab parties did not win the largest share, but their 19 seats became essential to possible opposition victories. Their influence could shape the choice of speaker and selected legislation, even without a formal coalition.

Election safeguards are meant to make voting fair and credible. They include an independent election committee, police checks, trained election workers, monitoring at polling stations, and transparent counting. In this case, the central elections committee and police were among the bodies able to assess the allegations.

The article gives several concrete checks. Dean Livneh said there appeared to be no basis for Netanyahu’s claims, while police officials described voting as relatively trouble-free. Election workers in Nazareth reported procedural attempts to slow voting, but said they were largely unsuccessful. Some ballot packets were printed only in Hebrew, rather than Hebrew and Arabic.

Fraud allegations without evidence can still damage democracy. They can cast suspicion on an entire voting community and pressure institutions to delay or reject results. President Isaac Herzog warned against tarnishing a community. Eisenkot said any investigation must proceed cautiously and must not delay the new Knesset’s convening.