What next as Netanyahu’s party claims Israel’s election was stolen?

October 30, 2026 / 10:39 AM EDT / CBS News

Tel Aviv — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party alleged Thursday that Israel's election earlier in the week was stolen by Arab-majority parties, helped by foreign funding that amounted to vote-buying, as final results showed Netanyahu's bloc has lost its majority in Israel's parliament, the Knesset.

Israel's Arab-majority parties had their highest turnout ever in Tuesday's election, winning an unprecedented 19 of the Knesset's 120 seats. Their success is one of the main reasons Netanyahu's bloc lost its majority and can't now form a new government.

The final election results show the far-right wing bloc's share of Knesset seats fell from 68 to 53.

Israel's Arab minority, also called Palestinian citizens of Israel, makes up about 20% of the country's population.

"Israel's elections have been stolen," Netanyahu's Likud party declared in a statement Thursday, claiming "an attack on democracy aimed at leading to a foreign takeover of the Knesset, the Islamization of Israel, and the overthrow of the right-wing government to cause a withdrawal and defeat of the IDF (Israeli military) on all fronts — first and foremost, Iran."

The four parties that make up the main bloc…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/world/