Expert Accuses Arab Nations of Election Interference in Israel

Israeli Middle East expert Eddy Cohen has accused Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar of engaging in informational interference during Israel's Knesset elections held on October 27, 2026. Cohen suggested that a campaign against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and right-wing parties might have contributed to the success of Arab lists, which secured a record 19 seats. He stated in an interview with Channel 7 that information disseminated through Arab media, particularly in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, could have mobilized Arab voters. Cohen pointed to months of criticism of Netanyahu and right-wing parties on Arab television channels, including Al Jazeera, and social media platforms like TikTok, which targeted figures like Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. The expert speculated that these Arab states' interest in a government change stems from their promotion of a Palestinian state. The Joint List won 11 seats and the Ra'am party secured eight, totaling 19 seats for Arab parties, a result Cohen described as unusual. He also mentioned suspicions of approximately 100 million shekels in funding, though he provided no evidence linking this to the election outcome. Previously, the Chairman of the Central Election Commission, Noam Solberg, had tasked the Shin Bet with investigating suspicions of foreign funding and voter bribery. However, a Ynet report on November 10 indicated that police found insufficient grounds for suspicion in the materials examined at that time. The Shin Bet, however, maintained that additional intelligence information was available.