National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, a far-right figure, encouraged Israel to “immediately” order the arrests of Arab party leaders. The accusations centered on allegations that the Raam party received money from Qatar. However, government officials did not offer evidence to back these claims. Netanyahu’s Likud party described the situation as a “political earthquake,” stating, “Israel’s elections have been stolen!”
The election results have left the Knesset deadlocked. With nearly 93 percent of the vote counted, Netanyahu’s bloc held 53 seats, while the opposition forces led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot had 48. Neither side reached the 61 seats required to form a government. The two main Arab formations, representing Israeli Arabs who are descendants of Palestinians who remained in the country after its creation in 1948, were on track for an unprecedented 19 seats, a record high for this demographic in the parliament.
The political stalemate has heightened the significance of the Arab bloc. Yousef Jabareen, head of the Arab-majority Joint List, told AFP on Wednesday that he was willing to cooperate with the opposition to end what he called “Netanyahu’s blood-soaked government,” but without joining it in a coalition. Eisenkot has previously resisted including Arab parties in a governing alliance after Netanyahu warned his right-wing base that voting for the opposition would put Arabs in power.
The allegations against Raam have drawn scrutiny given Netanyahu’s own history with the issue. He has faced allegations related to Qatar following the arrests last year of two of his aides for allegedly receiving payments from the Gulf state. For years, Netanyahu tacitly supported Qatari funding to Hamas-ruled Gaza in an effort to preserve stability, a paradigm that collapsed during the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023.
Protests erupted in response to the political impasse and the government’s rhetoric. Left-wing activists blocked roads and marched through the city, chanting slogans and trampling campaign posters of Netanyahu. Demonstrators carried banners calling for Jewish-Arab unity, with one placard declaring, “Arabs and Jews – Only together will we win.” Others criticized the political system, with a banner accusing Israel of being an apartheid state. Police moved in to disperse the crowds, and some protesters chanted “Ben Gvir lost!”
Observers noted that the allegations could inadvertently benefit Netanyahu by making the Arab lawmakers more difficult for Eisenkot to ally with. The prospect of a return to war with Iran, alongside the United States, also looms over the political landscape, as the US holds its own crucial midterms next week. No governing coalition had emerged from the election result as of the latest reports.
