Netanyahu claims Palestinians ‘stole’ elections as Qatar slams 'ridiculous and dangerous' allegations

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party has claimed Israel’s election was “stolen” by Palestinian citizens after their record turnout and electoral gains, even as election officials and opposition politicians dismissed the allegation as "baseless".

In a statement on Thursday, Likud warned of an attempted “Islamisation of Israel” following a Shin Bet investigation into alleged foreign interference in the vote.

Israeli politicians and media outlets aligned with the government have accused Qatar of funding efforts to boost turnout among Palestinian citizens of Israel.

Netanyahu’s son, Yair, echoed the allegations on X, claiming Qatar, Turkey and other Arab states had stolen the election.

Qatar rejected the accusations, calling them “ridiculous and dangerous”.

"The repeated invocation of Qatar in Israeli electoral rhetoric reveals an excessive obsession with our country among certain Israeli political and media figures,” foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said on X.

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"Qatar should not be used as a scapegoat for the political failures of certain Israeli politicians."

Palestinian-led parties, running on two separate electoral slates, won 19 seats, potentially giving them a decisive role in coalition negotiations.

Both rejected the allegations, accusing Netanyahu of using the investigation to delegitimise their voters.

“We are done apologising and defending ourselves against filthy lies and baseless accusations from right-wing figures who refuse to accept the election results,” the Joint List said.

Mansour Abbas, leader of the Ra’am party, denied any involvement in the alleged affair and pledged full cooperation with the investigation.

“To [Netanyahu], who employs Qatari agents in his office, we have one message in response to the campaign of incitement and delegitimisation he is waging against Arab citizens: there will be nothing [found], because there is nothing,” he said.

The claims were also criticised by Gadi Eisenkot, the leader of the main opposition bloc who is bidding to unseat Netanyahu as prime minister. 

“It’s already clear that Likud and Netanyahu have embarked on a coordinated, organised campaign seeking to delegitimise the results of the election,” Eisenkot said.

Allegations 'blown out of proportion'

The affair emerged on Thursday after it was reported that Noam Sohlberg, chairman of Israel’s Central Elections Committee, had written to David Zini, head of the Shin Bet domestic intelligence service.

Sohlberg requested an investigation into suspected foreign interference through funding intended to influence the election result.

His letter did not specify the allegations or identify the suspected foreign actors.

According to Haaretz, a source said the committee had been presented with allegations that Qatar funded efforts to increase turnout among Palestinian citizens of Israel. 

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However, sources told the Israeli newspaper that the claims were being blown “far out of proportion”.

Ynet and the Kan public broadcaster also reported, citing unnamed officials, that the alleged interference was a “much smaller affair than is being made out”.

“It’s not something that hasn’t happened in the past, it’s just that here it crossed a certain threshold of evidence that requires an investigation,” one source told Ynet.

Dean Livneh, director general of the Central Elections Committee, said there was no basis for claims that the election had been stolen.

"There have been many reports in the media that have no basis whatsoever," he said, citing comments by a police chief who was quoted as saying that claims of electoral fraud were "spins that are, so far, completely baseless". 

Despite this, Likud quickly seized on the allegations, as opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot faced the prospect of working with Palestinian-led parties to oust Netanyahu from power.

The party urged Zionist opposition groups to rule out any agreement with the Palestinian-led slates.

"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," Likud said.

The Likud statement came after Ahmad Tibi, a Joint List member of the Knessett, told Israeli Army Radio that he had ben approached by representatives of the opposition bloc about replacing Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana.

Tibi did not say which party had approached him but said several names had been suggested as possible replacements.

"We support replacing the Knesset speaker. That is something an opposition does after an election... I think the right thing to do is to take this step," Tibi was quoted as saying.

Calls for arrests and armed mobilisation

Likud’s far-right partners in the outgoing government went further.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir urged the Shin Bet to arrest Palestinian party leaders and others allegedly involved, including “members of the Muslim Brotherhood and its affiliates”.

Moshe Feiglin, a settler ranked second on the Religious Zionism party slate led by Bezalel Smotrich, called for the election results to be annulled. 

“We cannot allow Qatar to take over our Knesset,” he said.

He also called for security forces to be stationed at every polling station where Palestinian citizens cast their ballots.

Yitzhak Kroizer, a lawmaker from Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party, warned that Palestinian citizens could resort to violence and urged Israelis to arm themselves.

“I’m calling on you to go out and arm yourself, as long as Ben Gvir is national security minister and the [gun licence] reform still stands,” he said.