Netanyahu’s party claims election ‘stolen’ as results show him losing majority

The official tally shows the Israeli PM’s bloc with 53 seats, the main opposition with 48 and Arab-led parties with 19

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s party on Thursday amplified unsubstantiated allegations that Arab-led parties had “stolen” the election, potentially with foreign help, as final results showed his bloc had lost its majority in parliament.

The opposition accused Netanyahu of demonising the Arab population after a historic showing by Arab-led parties in an attempt to delegitimise the election.

If the rest of the opposition teams up with Arab parties, a rare and politically risky move, they could potentially form a majority government in parliament, the Knesset.