Stolen Claims
Israel's election leaves Netanyahu and rival Eisenkot short of a majority as Likud pushes unproven claims of a stolen vote.
Neither Benjamin Netanyahu nor Gadi Eisenkot won a majority in Israel's election. Netanyahu's party is pushing unproven claims that the vote was stolen.
Fifty-three seats went to Likud and its hard-right allies, CNBC reported, citing Israel's Central Elections Committee. Eisenkot's bloc took 48. Both fell short of the 61 needed to control the 120-seat Knesset. The Joint List and Ra'am, the two Arab-led parties, won a combined 19 seats. An all-time high for Arab representation.
Likud alleged Thursday, without citing evidence, that foreign interference was "aimed at facilitating a foreign takeover of the Knesset, the Islamization of Israel and toppling of the right wing government," according to CNBC. The claim spread after exit polls put Netanyahu's bloc behind.
A day earlier, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, who chairs the elections committee, had asked the Shin Bet security agency to investigate "serious suspicions" of improper funding from foreign entities, CNBC reported. Sohlberg acknowledged he couldn't attest to the substance of the suspicions himself. Opposition leaders backed an investigation too, CNBC said, but warned against letting the allegations cast doubt on the results.
Eisenkot has ruled out a partnership with the Arab-led bloc, and most of his own allies reject the idea as well, Foreign Policy reported. The Joint List has said it will boycott any coalition built around Yisrael Beiteinu, a party Eisenkot is counting on. Weeks earlier, Israel's Supreme Court unanimously overturned a bid by the elections committee, whose seats are held mostly by Netanyahu's coalition partners, to keep the Joint List and Ra'am off the ballot entirely, Freerepublic reported.
The count still faces what CNBC called possible "minor corrections" before certification. Final results go to President Isaac Herzog next Wednesday. The new Knesset is due to be sworn in Nov. 10. Parties have until Nov. 18 to challenge the tally, CNBC reported.
Herzog will start consulting with party leaders next week and pick whoever he judges has the best shot at a majority, according to CNBC. Netanyahu may get the first call. That opens a 28-day window to build a coalition, one that can run 14 days longer if needed.
Qatar, which Likud accused of working to mobilize Arab voters, rejected the claims outright. The allegations, a Qatari statement said, are "ridiculous and dangerous in equal measure."