Israel Awaits Final Election Results Amid Coalition Uncertainty
No single bloc secures majority as Arab parties achieve record gains and funding allegations surface.
Sarah Connor
Israelis await final election results to determine parliamentary seat majorities.
The centrist bloc, led by Gadi Eisenkot, commands approximately 48 seats. Concurrently, the two Arab party lists, The Joint List and Ra'am, secured a record 19 seats in the 120-seat Knesset.
Coalition talks are now imminent. Yair Golan of the Democrats plans to meet with both Gadi Eisenkot and Yair Lapid to discuss potential alliances. A snap poll from Hebrew University indicates a minority government led by Eisenkot, supported by Arab parties, is the most popular option among opposition bloc voters.
Key issues loom large, including the exemption of the ultra-Orthodox population from compulsory military service. The country's international standing also faces intense scrutiny regarding the treatment of Palestinians in Gaza and the escalating violence by Jewish settlers in the West Bank.
The Abraham Accords, brokered by Trump and Netanyahu in 2020, previously forged peace agreements between Israel and the UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, and Sudan.
The election committee reported minimal irregularities. Under Israeli law, absentee ballots are cast only under specific, exceptional circumstances and undergo later counting at the Knesset.
Separately, the Shin Bet is investigating allegations of illegal funding from Qatar and Turkey to Arab parties. Qatar's foreign ministry vehemently denied these 'ridiculous and dangerous' allegations, accusing Israeli politicians of orchestrating a disinformation campaign against Doha.
ridiculous and dangerous
An unspecified source informed the Central Elections Committee that Qatar had provided funding aimed at increasing voter turnout in Arab communities. The Arab-majority Joint List alliance dismissed the claim of foreign interference as baseless.
Netanyahu's Likud party accused Arab-led parties of stealing the election. They alleged voters had been 'bribed' to vote for them, but provided no evidence. Netanyahu and his Likud Party framed the allegations as a 'political earthquake' and an 'attack on democracy,' aimed at removing their right-wing government.