Israel’s election dispute is intensifying as officials prepare to release results that left both major blocs short of a majority, with fraud allegations now shadowing coalition talks.
The electoral commission said Nov. 3 it would not postpone publication of the results, rejecting a request from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party to wait until Shin Bet investigations were complete. AFP reported that President Isaac Herzog was due to receive the official election results on Wednesday, Nov. 4, before meeting party representatives.
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara requested an update from the intelligence services on an inquiry into suspected electoral fraud involving Arab parties, AFP reported. She invited the Shin Bet or another authority to submit any evidence that could justify an investigation. Baharav-Miara said no one would be investigated without evidentiary grounds and accused the Shin Bet of failing to pass material to a special team under her supervision.
Likud accused Baharav-Miara of obstructing the inquiry and concealing what the party called foreign interference in the electoral process. In a post on X, opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot accused Netanyahu and Likud of harming democracy and the rule of law, and warned of a “dangerous constitutional crisis.” Arab parties rejected the allegations.
Netanyahu’s camp secured 53 seats, including 27 for Likud, while Eisenkot’s opposition bloc won 48. Arab-majority parties gained a record 19 seats in the 120-member parliament, AFP reported. Their support could give Eisenkot’s bloc a majority, but opposition leaders disagree over whether to include Arab lawmakers.
The five opposition party leaders said Nov. 3 they would prioritize forming a government and avoiding another election. AFP reported that they kept four coalition standards set by Eisenkot. Among them are affirming Israel’s status as a Jewish state and denouncing Hamas as a terrorist group; those criteria could leave some Arab lawmakers outside a coalition.
Netanyahu called Nov. 2 for a broad national government led by him and ruled out a coalition with Arab-majority parties, accusing them of supporting terrorism and rejecting Israel’s Jewish character. EconoTimes previously covered Netanyahu’s coalition options after the election. Herzog is due to receive the results Wednesday before beginning consultations with party representatives.
