Final Count Leaves Netanyahu Short as Arab Lists Become Kingmakers
Final results confirm that neither Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc nor the Jewish opposition has a majority. Netanyahu’s bloc has 53 seats and Gadi Eisenkot’s 48, while the Joint List and Ra’am won a record 19 seats between them. Likud has accused the Arab-led parties of “stealing” the election, and Shin Bet is investigating whether they received illegal funding from Qatar and Turkey.
Eisenkot and the Arab party leaders accused Netanyahu of trying to “delegitimise” the result by alleging foreign interference. Qatar’s foreign ministry rejected the claims as “ridiculous and dangerous” and accused Israeli politicians of running a disinformation campaign against Doha. The Arab parties’ result followed a surge in turnout among Arab voters. Activists outside the counting rooms urged Eisenkot to try to form a government that includes them. The double-envelope ballots of soldiers and diplomats could still move individual seats, but they are unlikely to change the balance between the blocs.