Netanyahu makes fraud accusations against Arab parties after election losses

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Arab political parties of stealing votes after his coalition lost its majority in the 2026 parliamentary elections. His Likud-led bloc fell to 53 seats in the 120-seat parliament. Arab parties won 19 seats, giving them unusual power in deciding who forms the next government. Netanyahu posted on social media calling Arab voters "Muslim Brotherhood supporters" and claiming they had taken over polling stations. He also shared an image that Arab party leaders said was artificially generated. He demanded investigations and called for no alliances with Arab parties, but offered no evidence for his claims. Arab party leaders said his statements were designed to frighten right-wing voters and had no basis in fact.