Kit Knightly – Off-Guardian Oct 29, 2026
A few days ago, in our discussion thread on the Israeli elections, I suggested that the next step of the agenda would be a “contested” electoral result and that we would witness something like “Israel’s January 6th”, with Bibi Netanyahu cast in the roll of Trump.
Less than ten minutes after that post was published, Haaretz published an article headlined:
Will Netanyahu Refuse to Accept the Election Results?
Within twenty-four hours, that hypothetical had become a reality, when Netanyahu took to the podium to allege the elections had been stolen by “Arab parties” and “foreign entities” – specifically Qatar.
The opposition have objected, claiming Netanyahu is “delegitimising” the democratic process, and Qatari officials have naturally denied any involvement at all, calling the accusations “ridiculous and dangerous”.
Apparently Shin Bet have been instructed by the Israeli Supreme Court to begin “probing” the elections for “Arab rigging” due to alleged voting irregularities.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that Netanyahu is going to be the bad guy – it’s perfectly possible to reject election results and be “the good guy”. The democrats claimed both of Trump’s elections were rigged, and Remain voters have been calling the Brexit referendum rigged by “Russian interference” for over a decade.
“Election deniers” – a label coined in 2020 – can be “the good guys”. Sometimes. Maybe.
But Bibi probably won’t be. He’s the bad kind of election denier, you can tell that by who they compare him to:
Netanyahu claims Israeli elections being ‘stolen’ in Trump-style rant
That’s in the Evening Standard.
The Independent went almost word-for-word:
Netanyahu says Israeli election “stolen” by Arab parties in Trump-style claim
In case you guys weren’t quite getting the implied parallel, Netanyahu = Trump.
Like I said, “Israel’s January 6th”.
Unfortunately I can’t conclusively prove I predicted this, because both Haaretz (“Is Netanyahu Going to Try to Pull a January 6 After Israel’s Election?”) and The Jerusalem Post (“Israel Police brace for ‘January 6’ scenario at Knesset after election”) actually used the phrase shortly before I did.
But, to quote the great Pete Campbell…
But what does any of this mean for the future of the Israeli government?
As the projected results of the election stand, Netanyahu’s bloc will hold 53 seats – 8 short of the needed majority – while the opposition coalition would have 48. If either side wanted to form a government, they would need the backing of the collected Arab parties, who surged to a projected 19 seats.
Clearly, by claiming the election was rigged by foreign parties – before the voting is even finished – Netanyahu almost certainly voids his ability to do this.
We’re left with a binary – as the Guardian reports – “Netanyahu remaining in power or a Palestinian-backed coalition”.
And right now, I think I’m tentatively backing the latter.
Some papers are already writing Bibi’s political obituary, noting the “irony” that the Arab vote led to his downfall.
So Netanyahu ends up challenging an election he apparently won, and thereby effectively eliminates himself. No loss, just latest, and possibly final, example of Bibi seeming determined to discredit himself at any cost.