29.10.2026 12:01
A statement has been made regarding the claim by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was frustrated in Israel's elections, that "Arab parties stole votes." In its statement, the Israeli police said that the claims were unfounded and that no concrete evidence was found.
Israeli police reported that the Likud Party's claim that yesterday's general elections were "stolen by Arab parties" was unfounded. In the statement, it was stated that there was no intelligence data supporting the claims and no concrete evidence in the investigations.
ISRAELI POLICE: CLAIM THAT VOTES WERE STOLEN IS UNFOUNDED Israeli police announced that the claims by the Likud Party, led by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, that yesterday's general elections were "stolen by Arab parties" were unfounded.
In a written statement from Israeli police, it was stated that there was no intelligence data supporting the Likud Party's accusations. As a result of the investigations conducted regarding the allegations, it was noted that no concrete evidence or finding was found to confirm the alleged irregularities.
Meanwhile, vote counting continues after yesterday's general elections in Israel. According to Israel's Central Elections Committee, 85.6 percent of votes have been counted so far. According to exit polls, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's bloc, consisting of right-wing, far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties, won 53 seats in the 120-seat parliament. The opposition bloc led by former Israeli Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, meanwhile, recorded 48 seats. The Arab parties representing Palestinian citizens of Israel, consisting of the Joint List and Ra'am, reached a record level with 19 seats.
NEITHER THE RULING BLOC NOR THE OPPOSITION BLOC CAN REACH 61 SEATS If the official results are like this, both blocs are expected to begin efforts to form a coalition, and Israeli President Isaac Herzog is expected to assign the task of forming a government to the candidate with the strongest chance of forming a government. If neither side succeeds, Israel is expected to go to the polls again within a few months, while there is also a possibility that the country will be dragged into a political crisis process similar to the 2019-2022 period, when five elections were held.
ARAB PARTIES IN A KEY POSITION Eisenkot's opposition bloc and the Arab parties have so far won a total of 67 seats. The Joint List could play a decisive role in efforts to form a government by providing parliamentary support from outside the coalition. Joint List Chairman Yusuf Cebareen stated that any party seeking to replace Netanyahu's government must cooperate with the Arab parties. Cebareen said, "Anyone who wants to present a concrete and real alternative to Netanyahu's bloody government will have to talk to us to open the way for the change that the Israeli people long for. It will either be a continuation of racism, exclusion and supremacy, or a true Jewish-Arab partnership." Cebareen stated that his party is ready to pave the way to bring down the Netanyahu, Ben Gvir and Smotrich government.
ARAB PARTIES ARE HOLDING TALKS WITH THE ANTI-NETANYAHU BLOC Arab lawmaker and Ta'al party leader Ahmad Tibi confirmed in a statement that the Joint List, an alliance of Arab-led parties consisting of Ta'al, Balad and Hadash, has held talks with the anti-Netanyahu bloc on forming an alternative government. Tibi said the Joint List is ready to help the "change bloc" that would replace Netanyahu, but that it is not likely to formally join a government coalition. Pointing to the election results, Tibi said, "We prevented Netanyahu's chances of forming a government. Our people want us to influence the shape of the political system after the elections." Saying "We will probably not be an organic part of this government," Tibi noted that other arrangements are also possible.
Yair Golan, leader of the center-left Democrats Party, which is part of the opposition bloc led by Eisenkot, also called on his allies to stop refusing to cooperate with the Arab parties. In a post on the social media platform X, Golan said, "We must no longer accept the racist separation Netanyahu makes between Jewish votes and Arab votes."