Israel Election Leaves Netanyahu Without a Clear Route to a Majority
Israel’s election produced a difficult coalition puzzle on October 29, with preliminary results indicating that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc had lost its parliamentary majority and no rival grouping yet able to govern alone. As officials continued counting special ballots, Netanyahu’s Likud party amplified claims that Arab-led parties had stolen the election. The allegations were unsubstantiated, and the country’s election committee chair said he could not verify claims of foreign interference. Opposition parties accused Likud of using the fraud claims to delegitimise the emerging result and cast suspicion on Arab voters. The chair of Israel’s election committee, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, said serious suspicions had been brought to him and asked the Shin Bet security service to investigate. He also said he could not verify the claims. That request for inquiry is not evidence that manipulation occurred, and the allegation should remain clearly distinguished from a...