Israel faces a political impasse after the election results, with no party reaching the majority threshold. The outcome has left the anti-Netanyahu group with 48 seats, the Arab factions with 19 as they doubled their tally and the pro-Netanyahu bloc with 53, which is 8 seats shy of a majority.
The already politically charged environment has been further inflamed after Supreme Court justice Noam Sohlberg, the chair of the Central Elections Committee (CEC), urged the Shin Bet (Israeli security agency) to look into “serious suspicions” of foreign meddling, with Hebrew media reporting allegations that Qatar had sent massive funds to Israel to sway the Arab vote. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party also accused Arab-led parties of stealing the elections through fraud and voter intimidation.
On 29th October (Thursday), he took to social media to share his party’s message and wrote, “The Ra’amgate affair is an earthquake. They stole the elections in Israel. The judge Solberg’s statements about the involvement of foreign entities that interfered and bribed voters in favour of the Arab parties are an unprecedented shock.”
It was further charged, “This is an attack on democracy whose purpose is to lead to a foreign takeover of the Knesset, the Islamisation of Israel, and the overthrow of right-wing rule to lead to retreat and defeat of the IDF in all arenas – and primarily Iran. After it was revealed that foreign entities tried to take over the Knesset, it is clear that no Zionist party should cooperate with Ra’am and the Joint List, replace the Knesset Speaker through votes bought for cash, and form a government that is dangerous to Israel.”
The statement added, “We demand to act immediately and with all means available to the Shin Bet and the police to investigate these crimes.” According to Israeli media, the CEC was presented with an assertion that Qatar had contributed money to boost the voter turnout of the Arab community.
הודעת הליכוד: פרשת רע״מגייט היא רעידת אדמה. גנבו את הבחירות בישראל! הדברים של השופט סולברג על מעורבות של גורמים זרים שהתערבו ושיחדו מצביעים לטובת המפלגות הערביות הם טלטלה חסרת תקדים. מדובר בפיגוע בדמוקרטיה שמטרתו להוביל להשתלטות זרה על הכנסת, לאיסלאמיזציה של ישראל, ולהפלת שלטון הימין כדי להוביל לנסיגה ותבוסת צה״ל בכל הזירות – ובראשן איראן. אחרי שהתברר שגורמים זרים ניסו להשתלט על הכנסת ברור שאסור לאף מפלגה ציונית לשתף פעולה עם רע״מ והמשותפת, להחליף את יו״ר הכנסת באמצעות קולות שנקנו במזומן, ולהקים ממשלה מסוכנת לישראל. אנו דורשים לפעול מייד ובכל האמצעים הקיימים בידי השב״כ והמשטרה כדי לחקור את הפשעים הללו.
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) October 29, 2026
“Serious suspicions have been brought to my attention regarding improper influence on the elections – exerted through funding provided by foreign entities acting against Israeli interests. While I cannot attest to the substance of these suspicions, it is my view that – given they involve foreign entities – there is an obligation to investigate them thoroughly,” Sohlberg communicated in a letter to Shin Bet Director David Zini on Wednesday.
He pressed him “to do everything in your power to investigate these suspicions, utilising the authority of the Shin Bet to uncover evidence that either substantiates or refutes them. Only in this way can we ensure public trust in the electoral process and the integrity of the democratic procedure,” and sought submission of findings within a week.
A source similarly told Kan news, “This is an investigation opened in the past two weeks based on solid intelligence information. We understand that there is something problematic, and we are investigating it seriously to fully extract all the information. In the coming days, things will become clear,” reported The Times of Israel.
On the other hand, CEC Director General Dean Livne has denied the allegations of voter fraud. The Qatari Foreign Ministry has also dismissed the charges. However, the matter remains under investigation in the Jewish state.
According to Hebrew media outlets, which cited many sources in the security establishment and the CEC, Qatar was involved in an attempt to illegally mobilise Arab voters by transferring substantial amounts to Arab organisations to influence voting and turnout. According to Channel 12, the networks used to make the transfer to the groups were quite similar to those used in the past for financially backing terrorism.
