Netanyahu Claims Election Stolen as Israeli Coalitions Fall Short of Majority

Israel’s Central Election Committee reported that nearly 94 percent of votes from Tuesday’s parliamentary election had been counted as of Thursday morning. The partial data indicated that neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor his main challenger, Gadi Eisenkot, could secure a governing majority in the Knesset. The CEC projected that Netanyahu’s bloc would hold 53 seats, while Eisenkot’s camp would control 48. A majority in the 120-seat parliament requires 61 seats, leaving a nine-seat gap that neither leader could bridge alone.

According to the committee’s projections, Netanyahu’s Likud party would win 26 seats. Eisenkot’s Yashar party was on track for 21 seats. The Arab-Israeli parties were projected to capture 19 seats in total. These numbers suggest that both major coalitions may need support from the Arab-led bloc to form a stable government. The CEC stated that the final stage of vote counting would conclude on Thursday afternoon or evening local time. The official final results are scheduled for release on Nov. 4.

Netanyahu alleged on Wednesday that the election had been stolen by Arab parties. He claimed that Likud had gathered evidence of electoral fraud and submitted it to electoral, law enforcement, and security bodies. The Likud party issued a statement asserting that foreign entities had interfered in the election by providing financial support to Arab parties. The party did not immediately provide specific evidence to back the claim of foreign funding.

In a post-election speech, Netanyahu suggested that any government including Arab parties would endanger Israel. Both Netanyahu and Eisenkot had previously ruled out forming a coalition with the Arab parties. Eisenkot said on Wednesday night that he had spent a long day in meetings and preparations to realize the will of the voter. He wrote on X that he was focused on the heavy task of bringing change to Israel.

Arab party leaders indicated a willingness to work with the anti-Netanyahu opposition. The Joint List, a coalition of three parties projected to win 12 seats, issued a statement saying it was ready for political cooperation to oust the Netanyahu government. The group stated it would work to establish an alternative government committed to changing what it called the current government’s racist policy.

Mansour Abbas, the leader of the United Arab List, said he had been in contact with representatives of both the Netanyahu and Eisenkot coalitions. The United Arab List, also known as Ra’am, was projected to win seven seats. Opposition leaders condemned Netanyahu’s fraud claims, maintaining that the elections were free and fair. The Israeli police said they would investigate any credible allegations of wrongdoing.

Dean Livne, the acting director general of the Central Election Committee, told Israel’s Kan radio station on Wednesday that there was no basis for allegations of election theft. The partial results remain subject to change as the remaining six percent of votes are tallied. Neither coalition has yet announced a formal alliance strategy for the coming weeks.

The counting process continued through Thursday, with officials monitoring the remaining ballots from overseas and polling stations that reported delays. The Knesset will convene to formally elect its leadership once the final results are published. No formal coalition talks were reported as having begun before the final tally was released.