Netanyahu’s Likud Loses Majority As Israel Election Count Ends, Arab Parties Gain Ground

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party has lost its majority in the Knesset, the country’s parliament, after the counting of votes in the Israeli elections concluded on Thursday, with 100 per cent of ballots counted.

Netanyahu’s coalition bloc secured 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, while opposition parties won 48 seats. Arab-led parties collectively secured 19 seats, emerging as a potentially decisive force in determining the country’s next government.

Although Likud emerged as the single largest party with 27 seats, neither the ruling coalition nor the opposition bloc managed to reach the 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority. The outcome has left Israel facing an uncertain political future, with the possibility of an unusual alliance involving Arab parties potentially changing the balance of power.

Israel Election Results: How Parties Fared

Among the other major parties, Yashar secured 21 seats, while B’Yachad won 12 and the Joint List obtained 11. The Democrats and Ra’am secured eight seats each.

United Torah Judaism (UTJ), Yisrael Beytenu and Otzma each won seven seats, while the Religious Zionists and Shas secured six seats apiece.

With no bloc commanding a majority, the opposition could potentially form a government if the remaining opposition parties join hands with Arab parties. Such an arrangement would be an unusual and politically risky move, but the combined numbers could give them the support needed to cross the majority threshold.

Although the vote count is complete, the results are yet to be formally certified. They will be submitted to Israel’s president next Wednesday.

Netanyahu Alleges Election Was ‘Stolen’

Even as the results pointed to a setback for Netanyahu, his Likud party intensified allegations of electoral wrongdoing by Arab-led parties. The claims began circulating after exit polls suggested the prime minister had suffered losses in Tuesday’s election, but the party escalated its rhetoric following remarks by the head of Israel’s election committee, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg.

Sohlberg had said that “serious suspicions” of foreign interference had been brought to his attention. In a letter to the Shin Bet security agency, however, he acknowledged that he could not verify the allegations and requested an investigation because of their serious nature.

Likud subsequently issued an inflammatory statement declaring: “The elections in Israel have been stolen!” The party alleged, without providing evidence, that the purported interference was intended to facilitate a foreign takeover of the Knesset, bring about the “Islamisation of Israel” and overthrow the right-wing government.

Netanyahu's Party Accuses Qatar Of Interfering In Polls

Israeli media reports said members of Netanyahu’s party had accused Qatar of involvement in the alleged interference. Qatar, which many Israelis view as a supporter of Hamas, the Gaza-based militant group, swiftly rejected the accusations, describing them as “ridiculous and dangerous”.

Netanyahu’s principal rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, accused Likud of attempting to undermine the legitimacy of the election results because of its poor performance.

“They are doing this because they lost,” Eisenkot said.

He also responded sarcastically to the allegations against Qatar, saying: “I welcome the fact that Netanyahu is finally condemning Qatari involvement in the State of Israel.”

Netanyahu has himself faced longstanding allegations that some of his former senior aides accepted money from Qatar, adding another dimension to the political controversy surrounding the election results.