Jakarta, ThedailyID — Israeli opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to push the country toward another election after failing to secure a parliamentary majority.
Eisenkot, who leads the Yashar Party and the opposition coalition, said efforts by Netanyahu and his Likud Party to discredit last week’s election results had failed.
In a post on X, Eisenkot described the alleged effort as “despicable and evil.”
“The despicable and evil attempt not to recognize the election results, to oppose the will of the public, defame an entire community, and drag Israel into new elections has failed,” Eisenkot said.
“Only someone who realizes they have lost would launch such a crude campaign of delegitimization, even at the risk of further damaging public trust in state institutions,” he added.
Eisenkot said the results of Israel’s 26th Knesset election were clear. He also welcomed comments from Central Election Committee chairman and Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, who defended the integrity of the vote.
“Ignore the noise and political maneuvers that change every hour. The people are sovereign, and they have spoken: This failed government has no majority and has lost the election,” Eisenkot said.
Netanyahu and Likud have alleged that Qatar interfered in the election by funding efforts to boost Arab voter turnout and influence the result.
Likud claimed it possessed recordings and other materials showing alleged bribery, including cash and fuel vouchers offered in exchange for votes. However, the party has not publicly released evidence of widespread election fraud or Qatari interference.
Qatar rejected the accusations last week and described them as a “new disinformation campaign.” United Arab List leader Mansour Abbas also denied allegations of illegal foreign funding.
Sohlberg said the election had proceeded properly and that the results reflected voters’ choices. He added that authorities would investigate any suspected irregularities.
After all votes were counted, Netanyahu’s bloc secured 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset. Eisenkot’s opposition bloc won 48 seats, while Arab parties secured 19 seats.
No major bloc reached the 61 seats needed to form a majority government. Voter turnout reached 77.9 percent, the highest level recorded since 1999.
