Netanyahu's Likud claims Arab parties 'stole' the election and demands a police probe; Israel Police reject the claims
After Arab parties won about 19 seats, Netanyahu's Likud said the election had been 'stolen' through fraud and asked police and the Shin Bet to investigate. Israel Police said there was no investigative or intelligence evidence to support the claims.
Left 1 · Centre-left 6 · Centre 2 · Centre-right 4 · Right 5
ContextSources by leanVideoDeep diveFollow the moneyMore coverage
How each side framed it
Left-leaning outlets
A dangerous claim: 'Netanyahu claims stolen election amid failure to secure victory' (Politico); 'a claim straight from Trump playbook' (Mirror).
Centre outlets
Centre-rated outlets headline it: “Netanyahu accuses Arab parties of stealing election after cash arrests, urges Likud vote” (News24); “Netanyahu’s party alleges ‘serious criminal offenses’ in Israeli election” (The Hill).
Right-leaning outlets
Calls for a probe: Likud alleges 'serious criminal offences' (The Hill); police 'reject Likud claims' (Jerusalem Post).
Context
The wider geopolitical and historical background, in our words, each point linked to the source it comes from. Background, not a verdict on today's story. How we write it.
Israel elects its 120-seat Knesset by nationwide proportional representation.
- Likud is the right-wing party led by Benjamin Netanyahu. Likud Benjamin Netanyahu
- Arab citizens make up about a fifth of Israel's population, and Arab-led parties have long stood in Knesset elections. Arab citizens of Israel
- Israel's Central Elections Committee runs and certifies the vote. Central Elections Committee
Checked 2026-10-29. Links were opened and returned a page that day.
Search for more (live results, not checked by us): Wikipedia search · Explainers (Google News search) · Background and history (Google News search)
Sources by lean
Balanced: the same number of articles from the left, the centre and the right (up to 3 each). The bar above still counts every rated outlet we found. Bias and factual ratings come from Media Bias/Fact Check. How we balance · All ratings.
Left 2
Centre 2
- News24
Netanyahu accuses Arab parties of stealing election after cash arrests, urges Likud vote - The Hill
Netanyahu’s party alleges ‘serious criminal offenses’ in Israeli election (paywalled or blocks bots)
Showing 2 from each side of 18 rated outlets (L 7 / C 2 / R 9). Capped at 2 because that is all we found on the thinnest side. More coverage
Video
News reports from outlets with a bias rating, balanced like the articles: the same number from the left, the centre and the right. A side with no matching video is named, never padded. Every video was checked to exist on YouTube on the day; titles are the publishers' own. Links open YouTube; nothing from YouTube loads on this page. How we pick.
Centre 0
No centre-rated outlet video found for this story. We don't fill the gap with an unrelated video.
Right 0
No right-rated outlet video found for this story. We don't fill the gap with an unrelated video.
Showing 1 from each side that has one; none found from the centre or right.
YouTube searches (live results, not checked or balanced by us): News videos · Explainers · Podcasts
Deep dive
The two opposites side by side, seeking to understand rather than judge. These are possible readings of the coverage, built from the articles linked on this page; they are not claims about anyone's motives. How we write it.
Seen from the left
“Netanyahu says Israel's election 'stolen' by Arab groups in claim straight from Trump playbook” Daily Mirror
A possible reading: calling high Arab turnout 'theft' delegitimises Arab citizens' votes.
May be protecting: equal citizenship and trust in elections.
Seen from the right
“‘Bribery, Threats, Violence’: Netanyahu Accuses Arab Parties Of Stealing Israeli Election” Daily Caller
A possible reading: any claims of irregularity should be checked by the proper authorities, and the police have now responded.
May be protecting: the integrity of the vote and Jewish-majority government.
What they agree on
After Arab parties won about 19 seats, Likud said the election was 'stolen' through fraud and asked the police and Shin Bet to investigate. Israel Police said there was no investigative or intelligence evidence to support the claims. Both say they want a fair, clean election.
Where they truly differ
Likud alleges illegal software was used to mobilise voters; police say election day saw fewer integrity incidents than usual.
The paradox
Higher Arab turnout is celebrated as democracy working and attacked as fraud.
Open questions
- What specific irregularities did Likud allege, and to whom?
- Will the claims affect certification or coalition talks?
- Police have reviewed the claim; what further independent check would Likud accept?
Follow the money
Not yet researched. We haven't yet looked at who gains or loses financially from this story, or who funds the main voices on each side. When we do, we check company filings, the Electoral Commission donations register, lobbying registers, annual reports, InfluenceMap and OpenSecrets, and we apply the same checks to every side. How we follow the money.
Who owns or funds the outlets covering this story (19 outlets)
| Outlet | Lean | Ownership & funding (MBFC) |
|---|---|---|
| Haaretz | Left | According to the Financial Times, Haaretz does not report its earnings. They were also the first Israeli paper to introduce the paywall. For subscription fees, please see here. source |
| Daily Mirror | Centre-left | British Publishing Company Reach plc (formerly Trinity Mirror) owns The Daily Mirror. Revenue is generated through digital advertising, print ads, and subscription fees. source |
| Middle East Eye | Centre-left | The Middle East Eye lacks transparency as it does not easily provide ownership information. The website requires that you find ownership information on their Terms and Conditions page, which indicates M.E.E Ltd is the owner. The website also does not indicate that Jamal Bessasso is the owner of M.E.E Ltd. source |
| Politico | Centre-left | On 8/26/2021, German publisher Axel Springer purchased Politico for a reported 1 billion dollars. Axel Springer owns numerous publications, including Bild, Business Insider, and Fakt. Politico has a subscription-based service called Politico Pro, launched in 2010 for professionals, such as lobbyists and analysts, which provides policy intelligence coverage on technology, energy, and other sectors. source |
| The Independent | Centre-left | The Independent is owned by Independent Print Limited, a company owned by the Lebedev family (Alexander Lebedev and his son Evgeny Lebedev). In 2017, Saudi Businessman Sultan Muhammad Abuljadayel bought a 30% stake in the Independent online newspaper. Advertising and subscription generate revenue for the paper..push({}); source |
| Times of Israel | Centre-left | The Times of Israel is co-owned by David Horovitz and Seth Klarman. Revenue is generated through advertising..push({}); source |
| Ynet News | Centre-left | Yedioth Ahronoth owns Ynetnews. Advertising derives revenue. source |
| News24 | Centre | Media24 owns and publishes News24.com. They publish several magazines, newspapers, and online publications in South Africa. Advertising and subscription fees generate revenue. source |
| The Hill | Centre | In 2021, The Hill was purchased by Nexstar, which owns around 200 TV stations and media outlets nationwide. The founder, chairman, president, and CEO of Nexstar is Perry A. Sook. source |
| Jerusalem Post | Centre-right | In 1989, the paper was purchased by Hollinger Inc. for $17-million, which Canadian-born British Conservative Conrad Black owned. Conrad Black later was charged with “swindling his company, Hollinger International, of $60 million.” He was serving a prison sentence; however, in 2019, President Donald Trump pardoned him. source |
| Newsweek | Centre-right | Newsweek is owned by Newsweek Publishing LLC, which is co-owned by Dev Pragad and Johnathan Davis. Newsweek is funded through a paid subscription and advertising model. source |
| The Jewish Chronicle | Centre-right | In 2020, The Jewish Chronicle was purchased by a consortium of philanthropists led by Sir Robbie Gibb and others, rescuing the paper from financial collapse. However, the full details of its ownership and funding remain unclear, as the financial backers of the consortium have not been fully disclosed. Speculation about involvement from figures such as billionaire Paul E. source |
| Washington Times | Centre-right | Operations Holdings Inc is the Washington Times owner, owned by the Unification Church of South Korea, through their holding company HSA-UWC (Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity). In 1954, Reverend Sun Myung Moon founded this religious movement in South Korea, known for its mass weddings, and its members are referred to as “Moonies.” source |
| Breitbart | Right | After the death of Andrew Breitbart in 2012, Larry Solov became CEO and president of Breitbart News. In 2017, according to Politico, Larry Solov revealed the owner of Breitbart as “himself, founder Andrew Breitbart’s widow, Susie Breitbart, and the Republican mega-donor family, the Mercers.” Further, Solov also stated that he wants “to disclose as little as possible about financial and ownership structure.” source |
| Daily Caller | Right | No ownership data found |
| Daily Express | Right | The Daily Express is owned by Reach plc (formerly known as Trinity Mirror), a British newspaper, magazine, and digital publisher. Subscriptions, newsstand sales, and advertising generate revenue. source |
| Daily Wire | Right | Bentkey Ventures, LLC (formerly Forward Publishing, LLC) owns the Daily Wire, which was heavily backed and co-founded by fossil fuel billionaires Farris and Dan Wilks. The platform generates revenue through a hybrid model combining premium digital subscriptions via DailyWire+, targeted advertising, and direct-to-consumer e-commerce. source |
| The Telegraph | Right | Telegraph Media Group (TMG) owns The Telegraph, which is owned by Press Acquisitions Ltd., which in turn is owned by Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay. In 2004, Twin Brothers Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay acquired the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Telegraph from the Canadian media company Hollinger Inc. for £665 million. For a complete list of Board members, see here. source |
| Jewish News | Not rated | No ownership data found |
Social pulse
This is a signal of what people are discussing, not evidence of what happened. We don't rate the bias of social media posts.
X: 588 posts matching “Likud (stolen OR fraud) election -is:retweet”
AI-generated summary of X posts, written by X. Not verified fact.
Likud Accuses Arab Parties of Stealing Israeli Election
Preliminary results from the October 27 election gave Netanyahu's right-wing bloc 53 seats, short of the 61 needed, while Arab parties like the Joint List and Ra’am gained a record 19 seats combined due to higher turnout. Likud submitted hundreds of testimonies alleging irregularities in Arab communities, such as cash-stuffed envelopes and double voting, to police, Shin Bet, and the elections committee. Police rejected the claims, noting few incidents and no evidence of widespread fraud, as the Central Elections Committee reviews materials amid ongoing final counts.
Updated 29 Oct 07:11 UK time · View on X