Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc on Thursday intensified pressure on Arab-Israeli leaders over allegations of foreign funding. The accusations, denied by Arab-majority lists, could bring uncertainty to the electoral process. Israeli President Isaac Herzog called for an investigation into the claims but cautioned against stigmatizing the entire Arab-Israeli community, who voted at unprecedented rates. The allegations have sparked concerns about the legitimacy of the election results.
The election, held on Tuesday, saw soaring participation by Arab-Israelis, descendants of Palestinians who stayed after the country's creation in 1948. The vote was the first since Hamas's October 7, 2023 attacks. With nearly all of the vote counted, Netanyahu's bloc was at 53 seats and the opposition forces led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot on 48 – both under the 61 needed to form a government. The two Arab formations were on track for an unprecedented 19 seats between them.
Netanyahu's Likud party accused the Arab grouping Raam of receiving money from Qatar, a claim denied by Raam chief Mansour Abbas. The Joint List, which unites three Arab-majority parties, accused Netanyahu and his allies of a "campaign of incitement" that "exposes their fear" of Arab citizens' political strength. The Shin Bet security service cautioned that its investigation into the claims was not over but added it was not intended to "cast aspersions or place blame on an entire sector that went out to vote in a democratic and lawful manner".
The allegations have sparked concerns about the legitimacy of the election results. Eisenkot said he had been briefed by the Shin Bet and the elections committee, adding it was "too early to understand what happened, and whether anything happened at all". However, he continued, "It's already clear that Likud and Netanyahu have embarked on a coordinated, organised campaign seeking to delegitimise the results of the election". Netanyahu himself has long been under the cloud of allegations related to Qatar.
The Arab parties together have enough votes to take the opposition bloc over the finish line, but Eisenkot has baulked after relentless attacks by Netanyahu. Yousef Jabareen, head of the Joint List, has told AFP that he is willing to cooperate with the opposition to bring down Netanyahu but without joining it in a government. On Thursday, he accused Netanyahu of launching a "campaign of incitement against Arab citizens".
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir encouraged Israel to "immediately" order the arrests of Arab party leaders. Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, a conservative who heads the Central Elections Committee, requested an investigation by the Shin Bet security service into allegations that Raam received money from Qatar. Qatar called the latest accusations "ridiculous and dangerous".
With the election results still uncertain, the country is bracing for a potential new Israeli and US attack on Iran. The opposition bloc led by Eisenkot has urged calm and called for an investigation into the allegations. The international community is watching closely as Israel navigates its complex politics.
Key points
- Netanyahu's bloc accused Arab parties of receiving foreign funding to influence the election outcome.
- The allegations have sparked concerns about the legitimacy of the election results.
- Arab parties have enough votes to potentially form a government with the opposition bloc.
