Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Arab-led parties of "stealing" Israel's elections in a move that echoes Donald Trump's unsubstantiated claims about the 2020 US presidential election.
In a statement shared on his personal X account and Likud's, both he and his party claimed the elections were stolen "through serious criminal offences of bribery, threats, violence, forgeries and the use of prohibited software to mobilise voters." The message also accused the parties of "supporting terrorism and the elimination of the Jewish state."
The Arab parties have not yet responded to the claims. The accusations come as Netanyahu lost his governing majority following Tuesday's elections, although the coalition led by him holds more seats in the Knesset than the bloc led by his rival, Gadi Eisenkot.
Seat projections and coalition prospects
As most ballots have now been counted, Likud and its allies could win 53 seats in the 120-seat parliament. Meanwhile, Eisenkot's Yashar party and three other opposition parties in his bloc are set to get 48 seats.
Arab-led parties could win an unprecedented 19 seats, meaning they could play a king-making role in the formation of a new government. Israel's Central Elections Committee stated that it had received Likud's complaint, with the claims now due to be examined.
Evidence and demands
Netanyahu said Likud was sending "hundreds of testimonies and pieces of evidence regarding election theft in many Arab polling stations" to the police, the Central Elections Committee and the Shin Bet, Israel's security agency.
The statement claimed the evidence included "thousands of envelopes with cash and Ra'am [political party] slips, threats and violence against polling station members, multiple voting behind the curtain, voting with double identities, discrepancies between the number of envelopes and the number of voters, the use of prohibited mobilisation software, and more."
The statement reads: "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. We demand from the Central Elections Committee an immediate response to investigate these criminal offences that have severely damaged the integrity of the elections in Israel and the election results."
It adds: "This is a serious blow to Israeli democracy and the voting rights of Israeli citizens. The law enforcement agencies must act with an iron fist and in an immediate manner."
