Eisenkot accuses Netanyahu of working to delegitimise Israel's election results

Summary

Israel's chief opposition candidate, Gadi Eisenkot, warned on Thursday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is working to delegitimise the results of the election through allegations of malfeasance by Arab-led parties that performed well. In a video message, Eisenkot said Likud and Netanyahu had embarked on a coordinated, organised campaign seeking to delegitimise the results. Likud has alleged foreign interference and said the Arab-led parties "stole" the election after Netanyahu's coalition lost its majority.

Timeline

1. RTÉ

   29 Oct 2026, 09:17 UTCSource ↗

   RTÉ reports that Israel's chief opposition candidate, Gadi Eisenkot, warned that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was working to delegitimise election results with his allegations of malfeasance by Arab parties.

2. Middle East Eye

   29 Oct 2026, 17:04 UTCSource ↗

   Middle East Eye reports that Eisenkot warned on Thursday that Netanyahu is working to delegitimise Israel's election results through allegations of malfeasance by Palestinian-led parties, and said in a video message that Likud and Netanyahu had launched a coordinated campaign to delegitimise the results.

3. BBC

   29 Oct 2026, 20:21 UTCSource ↗

   BBC reports that the opposition accuses Netanyahu of trying to delegitimise the election, and that Likud has alleged foreign interference and said Arab-led parties "stole" the election after his coalition lost its majority.

4. Middle East Eye

   30 Oct 2026, 01:48 UTCSource ↗

   Middle East Eye reports that Eisenkot issued a video statement on Thursday warning that Netanyahu is running a campaign to delegitimise election results, after Likud alleged that Arab parties, which performed better than predictions, committed fraud.