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Akbar Novruz

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Israeli opposition politicians and commentators have accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of attempting to overturn the results of the country's parliamentary elections by using domestic security investigations to challenge the legitimacy of votes cast by Palestinian citizens of Israel.

According to Middle East Eye, the accusations follow an electoral defeat for Netanyahu's political bloc amid historically high participation among Palestinian voters, whose representatives secured an unprecedented 19 seats in the Knesset.

More than a week after the election results placed Netanyahu's bloc behind the opposition, Israel's domestic intelligence agency, Shin Bet, reportedly launched investigations into allegations of electoral fraud, bribery and foreign interference involving Palestinian voters.

The investigations, reportedly led by Shin Bet director David Zini, have prompted criticism from opposition figures, who argue that no supporting evidence has been publicly presented.

The controversy has intensified as Netanyahu and his political allies challenge the legitimacy of the Palestinian-led Ra'am party and the Joint List, which together won 19 parliamentary seats.

Critics allege that the campaign is intended to prevent the opposition from forming a government and enable Netanyahu to retain power despite the election outcome.

Yair Golan, leader of the opposition Democrats party, warned on Wednesday that the actions of security agencies and the outgoing government posed a threat to Israel's democratic institutions.

“The police are detaining political activists without a warrant. The Shin Bet is trying to question senior elected officials without presenting evidence. The outgoing government refuses to recognise the election results,” Golan said.

He subsequently accused Netanyahu of attempting to “carry out a coup and seize power by force”.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid expressed similar concerns on Tuesday, alleging that Netanyahu was attempting “to crush democracy and steal the elections with the help of sleeper agents of the regime in the security establishment”.

His remarks appeared to refer to Zini, who was appointed Shin Bet director by Netanyahu.

Gadi Eisenkot, another prominent opposition leader, also criticised the prime minister's conduct, accusing him of orchestrating “an organised attempt” to “sabotage Israeli democracy”.

Eisenkot pointed to what he described as incitement against elected officials, the encouragement of street violence and efforts to undermine law enforcement institutions.

Israeli journalists and political commentators have likewise raised concerns about the government's response to the election results, with some describing the reported actions as an attempted coup.

Israeli journalists and commentators have also accused Netanyahu of mounting an assault on democracy, describing his actions as an attempted coup.

“The prime minister, his circle, and his collaborators in the security branches and the media outlets are energetically driving Israel into the most critical constitutional crisis in its history,” Haaretz journalist Amos Harel wrote on Wednesday.

Netanyahu was attempting a “regime coup”, Harel said, using tactics familiar from “the playbooks of dark regimes”. He cited the use of the secret service, incitement against minorities, threats of violence and refusal to recognise election results.

An opinion piece in Calcalist, a mainstream Israeli financial news outlet, levelled similar accusations against Netanyahu and the Shin Bet.

“Refusing to recognise the election results is a significant escalation,” journalist Moshe Gorali wrote, arguing that the government was following a “familiar dictatorial-fascist protocol” by using a loyal intelligence service to overturn the outcome of an election.

Ynet journalist Ronen Bergman said Israel was “in the midst of a coup attempt”.

The allegations remain political accusations rather than established legal findings. No publicly disclosed evidence substantiating the reported electoral fraud and foreign interference claims was cited in the account.