Netanyahu claims Israeli elections were 'stolen' after losing parliament majority

Following recent Israeli elections held on October 27, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party have alleged that the parliamentary vote was "stolen" by Arab-led parties, after his bloc failed to secure a governing majority. Netanyahu's coalition garnered 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, falling short of the 61 seats required to form a government. The unsubstantiated claims from the Likud party include accusations of widespread fraud, bribery, foreign funding, and voter manipulation targeting Arab communities.

However, Israeli election authorities, including the Central Elections Committee, have dismissed these allegations of systematic fraud as baseless, asserting that the elections were conducted properly. The head of the Shin Bet security agency and the Attorney General also affirmed the integrity of the voting process. Critics and opposition figures have accused Netanyahu of attempting to delegitimize the election outcomes and demonize the Arab population, potentially to hinder the formation of an alternative government involving Arab parties.