Netanyahu’s bloc loses majority as Likud challenges Arab parties’ election gains
publishers 48articles 64first reported 28 Oct, 02:26 UTCdeveloping since 28 Oct · 5 editionstop 25 #24
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc lost its parliamentary majority in Tuesday’s election, leaving neither it nor the main opposition with enough seats to govern alone.
The final count gave Netanyahu’s bloc 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, while the opposition bloc led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot won 48. The Joint List and Ra’am, two Arab-led party groupings, secured a record combined 19 seats, potentially giving them a decisive role in coalition negotiations. The results remain subject to certification.
Netanyahu’s Likud party alleged without providing evidence that Arab-led parties had “stolen” the election through voter bribery and possible foreign assistance. Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, chairman of the Central Elections Committee, asked the Shin Bet security agency to examine what he described as serious suspicions of improper foreign influence, while saying he could not verify the claims.
Acting election committee director general Dean Livne said there was no basis for allegations of systematic violations and that the investigation did not affect the final results or concern an entire community. Qatar, which Israeli media reports linked to the allegations, denied interfering and called the claims “ridiculous and dangerous.”
Eisenkot accused Likud of conducting an organized campaign to delegitimize the result. Arab party leaders rejected the allegations, while opposition figures said any investigation should proceed without delaying the seating of the new Knesset.
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Written from 8 articles, 5 with the publisher's own text; 8 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 54 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
- Publishers
- 48
- Source articles
- 64
- Given to the writer
- 8, 5 with the article's own text
- Independent newsrooms
- 8
- This version written
- 54 h after the record first saw the story
- Second model (editor)
- kept as written
- Publication gate
- passed
- Human review
- none
WHAT THE EDITOR DID
The second model checked the writer's draft against the same sources and published it as written.
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