Benjamin Netanyahu's party accuses Arab Parties of 'stealing' Israeli election, alleges widespread fraud

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party on Wednesday (October 28) accused Arab political parties of stealing the vote in the country's election through widespread voter fraud after the preliminary results indicated no clear winner. In a statement, the Likud party alleged that Arab parties were involved in bribery, voter intimidation and forgery to influence election results. This comes as neither Netanyahu nor his primary challenger Gadi Eisenkot was expected to gain a parliamentary majority.

"The elections in the State of Israel were stolen by Arab parties that support terrorism and the elimination of the Jewish state through serious criminal offences of bribery, threats, violence, forgeries, and the use of prohibited software to mobilise voters," Likud said. The party added that it was turning over hundreds of witness accounts and pieces of evidence to the Israeli police, the Shin Bet domestic security agency and the Central Elections Committee.

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Likud party alleges some voters cast multiple ballots

Likud has claimed that thousands of envelopes stuffed with cash and ballots for Ra'am, an Arab political party, were handed out to voters. The party went further, alleging that some voters cast multiple ballots, used false identities, and relied on banned software to artificially inflate turnout. None of these allegations has been independently confirmed, and Likud has not made its purported evidence public.

"We demand from the police and the Shin Bet a thorough investigation into the election theft by the Arab parties and the full prosecution of the criminals," the party said. The allegations surface at a precarious moment for Netanyahu, who, despite backing from President Trump, now confronts real uncertainty over his political survival. The election saw an opposition bloc under Gadi Eisenkot make unprecedented gains, positioning it to play a pivotal role in shaping Israel’s next government.

With 85.6 per cent of votes tallied as of Wednesday, the outcome remains unsettled: Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition leads with 53 seats, the opposition bloc trails with 48, and Arab parties hold 19, leaving every bloc short of the 61 seats required for a majority in parliament.