By Maayan Lubell
JERUSALEM, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Benjamin Netanyahu alleged on Thursday, without providing evidence, that Arab parties' record gains in an election this week were driven in part by voter fraud, a charge rejected by Arab leaders who accused the premier of incitement.
The allegation represents an escalation of anti-Arab rhetoric by Netanyahu and his far-right partners after high Arab turnout in a national ballot on Tuesday effectively blocked a smooth path to power for either him or his main
Jewish rivals.
Israeli election officials said on Thursday that there was a probe into fraud allegations, though the election's integrity was not "systematically compromised."
Analysts and critics say that by stepping up attacks on Arab parties, Netanyahu may be trying to ensure his main rival, Gadi Eisenkot, feels unable to even consider forming a minority government with Arab help that could oust him from power.
Netanyahu's goal is "delegitimizing any Arab-Jewish cooperation", said Eytan Gilboa, professor of politics at Reichman University.
Election officials were expected to finish tallying votes later on Thursday, in a tightly fought election that has produced no clear winner and is likely to be followed by weeks of protracted negotiations over a new government.
With nearly 93% of votes counted, Netanyahu's nationalist-religious bloc held a modest lead in seats over a bloc of right-wing and centre-left parties led by Eisenkot, with both men's coalitions short of the 61 seats needed for a majority in parliament.
Parties representing Israel's 21% Arab minority were projected to win an unprecedented 19 seats, leaving Eisenkot's bloc, with 48 seats against Netanyahu's camp of 53, with no realistic path to power without broad Arab backing, an option Eisenkot has so far ruled out.
However, Eisenkot's camp could also try to form a minority government with Arab support from the outside, without including them in a governing coalition.
NETANYAHU ACCUSES ARAB PARTIES OF FRAUD; ARAB PARTIES CALL IT INCITEMENT
Ahmad Tibi, one of the leaders of the Arab Joint List party, said Netanyahu was on an orchestrated, toxic campaign meant to undermine the election results.
"This entire campaign is directed against Eisenkot, to prevent him, intimidate and scare him off forming a government that relies on external support from the Joint List or Ra'am," Tibi told Reuters.
During and after Tuesday's election, Netanyahu and his allies warned against rising Arab turnout and his right-wing Likud party issued statements accusing the Arab parties of "stealing the vote."
It demanded police and the Shin Bet domestic intelligence service investigate incidents of suspected election bribery and intimidation at ballot stations in Arab towns. It said it possessed evidence of such activity but has not presented it to the public.
The police say they have arrested at least seven people since Tuesday in Israel's south, where many Arabs live, on suspicion of voter fraud. Israel's public broadcaster Kan said they were suspected of attempting to bribe voters to cast ballots for the Arab-dominated party Ra'am, which has Islamist roots.
On Thursday, the head of Israel's Central Election Committee, Supreme Court jurist Noam Sohlberg, said he had asked the Shin Bet to investigate suspicions that unidentified foreign players had tried to intervene in the election.
Likud seized on Sohlberg's request, alleging an attack on Israel's democracy, "an Islamisation of Israel and the toppling of the right-wing in order to bring about IDF withdrawal and defeat on all fronts, foremost Iran."
Likud said Qatar was behind the alleged election intervention, which Qatar later denied.
Ra'am head Mansour Abbas said on Thursday his party was not involved in the reported suspicious conduct and urged a full investigation. He said that Netanyahu was on an incitement campaign against Israel's Arab citizens.
"We have one message in response to the campaign of incitement and delegitimization he is waging against Arab citizens: Nothing will come of it, because there is nothing there," Abbas said in a statement.
In a letter sent to a parliamentarian and published by the Central Election Committee, the committee said that there was "no base for claims that there was systematic harm to the election's integrity."
ISRAELI PRESIDENT: 'WE MUST NOT TARNISH AN ENTIRE COMMUNITY'
After vote tallying is completed, President Isaac Herzog will consult with party chairs and choose a candidate who he thinks has the best chance to form a government.
The coalition that last toppled Netanyahu, in 2021, relied on Abbas' Ra'am party. But Eisenkot's underperformance means the opposition would now need backing from the Arab-dominated Joint List, which includes an explicitly anti-Zionist party. Most Jewish leaders have shunned formal alliances with Arab parties since Israel's founding.
Eisenkot called for an investigation that would protect election integrity but said Netanyahu was exploiting the suspicions to "spread chaos."
He said in a statement that Netanyahu's aim was to "challenge the official election results, in which the Israeli public voted against the government."
Herzog said the allegations must be investigated.
"But even at a moment like this, we must not tarnish an entire community that sought to exercise its right to vote and take an active part in democracy," Herzog said in a statement.
(Additional reporting by Sinan Abu Mayzer, Steven Scheer, Pesha Magid and Lili Bayer; Editing by Rami Ayyub, Aidan Lewis)
