Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the right-wing Likud party fell short of the 61 seats needed to control the Knesset after the election results were finalized. The completed count leaves Netanyahu facing an uncertain path to power.

Netanyahu’s bloc secured 53 seats, leaving it eight seats short of a majority. The opposition bloc led by former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot won 48 seats, while Arab parties captured the remaining 19 seats.

Those numbers put Netanyahu’s party in a serious bind. The opposition bloc could join forces with the Arab parties, giving such an alliance enough seats to establish a majority government and deliver a direct repudiation of Netanyahu.

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Netanyahu responded by blaming alleged foreign election interference for boosting the Arab vote in Tuesday’s legislative elections. His accusations centered on alleged misconduct and efforts to mobilize voters at Arab polling stations.

“The elections in the State of Israel were stolen by Arab parties that support terrorism and the elimination of the Jewish state through serious criminal offenses of bribery, threats, violence, forgeries, and the use of prohibited software to mobilize voters,” Netanyahu posted on X.

Netanyahu said Likud was providing authorities with evidence connected to its claims. “The Likud party is transferring to the police, the Shin Bet, and the Central Elections Committee hundreds of testimonies and pieces of evidence regarding election theft in many Arab polling stations,” he wrote.

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Netanyahu named various pieces of evidence while pressing the allegations. The claims added another layer of turmoil to an election outcome that already left his bloc without the seats required to take outright control of the Knesset.

Following an order from Israel’s top election official, the Shin Bet is investigating suspected Qatari and Turkish funding intended to boost Arab turnout at polling locations during the week. The inquiry comes as Netanyahu continues promoting claims of foreign involvement.

Qatar denied the allegations that it had played a role in swaying Israel’s elections, calling them “ridiculous and dangerous.” Eisenkot also mocked Netanyahu for promoting the foreign interference allegations before an investigation had gotten underway.

“I commend Netanyahu for finally condemning Qatari involvement in the State of Israel,” Eisenkot said. His remark referenced accusations that Netanyahu’s former top aides accepted money from Qatar.

Eisenkot treated the broader issue of foreign involvement as serious, even while directly challenging Netanyahu’s conduct. “Foreign involvement in the State of Israel is an unacceptable and gravely serious matter, especially when it involves a country that funds and supports the Hamas organization,” he added.

“This is grave when it happens in the Prime Minister’s Office and grave if it occurs in the election system,” Eisenkot said. He called for the Shin Bet to investigate the allegations “impartially, thoroughly, and immediately” while respecting voters’ rights.

The opposition leader specifically accused Netanyahu of waging an “illegitimate influence operation on the Israeli public.” His criticism placed the prime minister’s public campaign over alleged interference at the center of the dispute surrounding the results.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog, meanwhile, warned against demonizing Arab Israeli voters as the political maneuvering continued. His intervention focused on protecting an entire community from being broadly tarnished over the allegations now facing investigation.

“We must not tarnish an entire community that sought to exercise its right to vote and take an active part in democracy,” Herzog said. His statement came as the Arab parties’ 19 seats positioned them to play a decisive role in determining who could form a majority.

All votes have been counted, but the results still must be certified and submitted to Herzog next Wednesday. Until then, Netanyahu remains short of the required 61 seats while the opposition and Arab parties hold the numbers needed to form a majority together.

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