▲ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
As vote counting for Israel's general election nears its final stages, the right-wing bloc led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has launched an all-out offensive against Arab parties that made significant gains in the election, raising unverified allegations of illegal funding.
According to local media on the 29th (local time), the Central Election Commission of Israel has asked the Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency to investigate allegations that the key Arab party Raam received funds from Qatar.
Netanyahu's Likud party dubbed the issue "Raam Gate" and claimed election tampering, but presented no concrete evidence to support the claim.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir went a step further, calling for the immediate arrest of Arab party leadership.
This offensive is interpreted as an attempt to reduce the political influence of Arab parties and block the opposition from forming a coalition government.
The Israeli opposition slammed the "Qatari election interference allegations" as an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of the election, and counterattacked by reviving suspicions that Prime Minister Netanyahu's former aides had received money from Qatar.
Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yesh Atid party and a former military chief of staff who is competing with Netanyahu for the premiership, sarcastically remarked, "I praise Netanyahu for finally condemning Qatar's interference in Israel."
This targeted an ongoing investigation known as "Qatar Gate," which alleges that former aides to Prime Minister Netanyahu performed public relations work for Qatar while serving in the Prime Minister's Office.
Qatar completely denied allegations that it interfered in Israel's general election.
Majed Al Ansari, spokesperson for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote on the social media platform X that day, "We completely deny allegations that Qatar funded or interfered in Israel's elections to manipulate the results."
With 93% of the votes counted as of that morning, Netanyahu's bloc secured 53 seats and the opposition led by former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot secured 48 seats, making it difficult for either side to reach the 61-seat majority required to form a coalition.
On the other hand, major Arab parties are poised to secure a combined 19 seats, emerging as a definitive kingmaker bloc.
While the opposition cannot form a coalition without the support of Arab parties, former Chief of Staff Eisenkot has maintained a cautious stance on allying with Arab factions due to persistent pressure from Netanyahu's camp.
The pan-Arab Joint List party indicated it could cooperate with the anti-Netanyahu front, but drew the line at joining a coalition led by Eisenkot, who has supported military operations that devastated the Gaza Strip.
Along with allegations of election rigging, external security situations are also expected to serve as major variables in Israel's future political landscape.
Some observers speculate that if Prime Minister Netanyahu joins U.S. President Donald Trump's planned military action against Iran, which is reportedly scheduled following the U.S. midterm elections next week, he could use national security crises as leverage to compel the opposition to join an emergency national unity government or delay the political gridlock.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog is scheduled to designate the first candidate to be granted the mandate to form a coalition government after final election results are confirmed.
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