Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made fresh election fraud claims against Arab political parties, alleging misconduct in the country’s parliamentary election. The allegations came in a post on X on 28 October 2026, published under an official Likud party statement. Arab leaders have rejected them as false and fabricated, and no authority has confirmed them.
What Likud alleges
The statement says Arab parties “that support terrorism” influenced the result through bribery, threats, violence, forgery and the use of prohibited voter-mobilization software. Likud says it is passing hundreds of testimonies and pieces of evidence to the police, the Shin Bet and the Central Elections Committee. The alleged irregularities include:
- Thousands of envelopes containing cash and Ra’am party slips
- Threats and violence against polling station staff
- Multiple voting behind the curtain
- Voting under double identities
- Discrepancies between the number of envelopes and the number of voters
The party has demanded an immediate investigation. It describes the matter as a serious blow to Israeli democracy and says law enforcement “must act with an iron fist and in an immediate manner.”
Israel election results 2026: latest Knesset seat count
The count is still in progress. With roughly 90 percent of ballots counted, the Central Elections Committee projects:
- Netanyahu bloc: 53 seats, eight short of the 61 needed for a majority, and 15 fewer than in 2022
- Eisenkot bloc: 48 seats
- Arab parties: 19 seats, their highest representation ever
By party, Likud leads with 26 seats, followed by Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar with 21, Together with 12 and Democrats with 8. United Torah Judaism, Yisrael Beytenu, Shas and Otzma Yehudit have 7 each. Among Arab parties, the Joint List has 11 and the United Arab List (Ra’am) has 8.
What happens next
The committee is now counting absentee and double-envelope ballots, which could shift the final allocation slightly. Further updates are not expected before Thursday. With neither main bloc holding a majority, coalition negotiations or even a fresh election may follow.
This article will be updated as official results are released.
