Qatar's Foreign Ministry has strongly rejected the allegations, describing them as "ridiculous and dangerous" and accusing Israeli politicians of conducting a disinformation campaign against Doha.
The final election results confirmed that neither Netanyahu's coalition nor the Jewish opposition secured a majority in the 120-member Knesset. The two Arab parties, Joint List and Ra'am, performed better than expected, winning a record 19 seats. The outcome followed a significant increase in voter turnout among Arab citizens.
Their strong performance has placed the parties in a potentially decisive position in government formation. Netanyahu's coalition secured 53 seats, while the alliance led by his rival, Gadi Eisenkot, won 48 seats.
On Thursday, Likud accused Arab parties of bribing voters to secure support. The allegations came after the head of Israel's Central Elections Committee asked Shin Bet to investigate what he described as "serious suspicions" of foreign interference in the election.
Both Arab parties firmly rejected the accusations. The Joint List said there was no basis for the claims.
Critics of Netanyahu believe the controversy is an attempt to question the legitimacy of Arab parties and could make it politically impossible for Eisenkot to form a coalition with them. At present, cooperation with these parties appears to be the only route through which his alliance could reach power.
Israeli media reported that a claim had been presented to the Central Elections Committee alleging that Qatar had provided funding to increase voter turnout in Arab communities.
Qatar's Foreign Ministry dismissed the allegations as entirely false. Netanyahu and his Likud party described the alleged interference as a "political earthquake" and an "attack on democracy".
They claimed that the objective was to remove their right-wing government from power.
However, Shin Bet later clarified that its investigation did not place all individuals who had voted legally under suspicion.
Meanwhile, Dean Livne, acting director general of the Central Elections Committee, said there was "no basis" for allegations of systematic violations of election integrity.
After being briefed about the investigation, Eisenkot said it was too early to determine what had happened or whether anything had actually taken place.
He accused Netanyahu of running a "deliberate and organised campaign to delegitimise the election results".
Sami Abu Shehadeh, leader of the Balad party, which was part of the Joint List alliance, also rejected the allegations. He said, "The losing side is inventing a false story of racist bloodshed and calling on security agencies to use force in an attempt to overturn the election results."
Netanyahu's attacks on Arab voters and political parties have continued for several days.
On election day, he published several posts on social media, describing the high turnout among Arab voters as an "emergency" and a "life-or-death question" for Israel's political right.
He also shared AI-generated images of Arab voters at polling stations, seeking to encourage right-wing supporters to leave their homes and vote.
When the counting made it clear that his coalition was unlikely to secure a majority, Netanyahu posted on X, accusing Arab parties of electoral manipulation.
He shared a statement issued by the Likud party and made allegations against the Arab-led parties.
Arab citizens make up approximately one-fifth of Israel's total population. Many identify themselves as Palestinian citizens of Israel.
For years, a significant section of this population boycotted Israeli elections, arguing that participating in the voting process would legitimise a system they believe treats them as second-class citizens.
However, one reason behind their increased participation in Tuesday's election was the desire to remove from power what they viewed as the most right-wing coalition in Israel's history, led by Netanyahu.
Following the announcement of the final results, only three potential options for forming a government appear to remain.
The first is a national unity government involving both Netanyahu and Eisenkot.
The second is a right-wing coalition led by Netanyahu, incorporating leaders who break away from Eisenkot's alliance.
The third possibility is a government led by Eisenkot with the support of Arab parties.
All but one member of Eisenkot's alliance have previously ruled out forming a government with Arab parties.
However, speculation has grown over the past few days that an agreement between the two sides could be possible.
A survey conducted by the Hebrew University found that the most popular option among voters of every party in the opposition alliance was for Eisenkot to form a minority government with Ra'am, while the Joint List provided support from outside the government.
The election outcome and the subsequent allegations of foreign interference have placed Arab parties at the centre of Israel's political deadlock. With neither major bloc holding a parliamentary majority, their 19 seats could prove decisive in determining who forms the next government.
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