The key facts

  • Opposition leader Yair Lapid accused Netanyahu's supporters in the security services of attempting to 'steal' the elections
  • Shin Bet chief David Zini sought the interrogation of three Arab party leaders; the attorney general rejected the request for 'state security case' status
  • The count gave Netanyahu's bloc 53 seats, Eiskot's opposition 48, and the Arab lists 19; consultations with the president are expected on Wednesday

Accusations on the eve of the results announcement

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid on Tuesday evening accused loyalists of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu within the security services of attempting to 'destroy democracy and steal the elections' and called on opposition parties to set aside their differences and quickly form a government. 'What we are seeing tonight is an attempt to destroy democracy and steal the elections using government loyalists inside the security services,' he wrote on the X platform, calling what was happening 'a direct threat to our democracy' from people unwilling to accept defeat. This was reported by Anadolu.

Dispute over the Shin Bet request

According to Israel's public broadcaster Kan, the statement was prompted by a request from Shin Bet chief David Zini to interrogate three leaders of Arab parties as part of an investigation into possible foreign interference in the elections; law enforcement agencies found no grounds for their interrogation. As the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara rejected Zini's attempt to give the investigation the status of a state security case, which would have expanded the agency's powers. Likud, in response, accused her of sabotaging the investigation.

A line-up without a majority

According to the vote count, Netanyahu's bloc received 53 seats, Eiskot's opposition bloc 48, and the two Arab lists a combined 19; none of the main blocs reached the 61 seats needed for a majority. The final results are to be published on Wednesday, and, according to the newspaper Maariv, President Isaac Herzog is expected to begin consultations with party representatives on forming a government that day. Thus, the dispute over the legality of the Shin Bet's actions is unfolding precisely at the moment when it is being decided who will receive the first mandate to form a cabinet.