JERUSALEM (dpa-AFX) - With no clear winner in Israel's parliamentary elections, a new controversy emerged, as the opposition accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to 'delegitimize' the outcome by alleging foreign interference in high Arab voter turnout.
When final results were declared, both the ruling coalition, led by Netanyahu's right-wing Likud, and the Opposition 'Change bloc,' led by the new centrist Yashar party's Gadi Eisenkot, failed to reach majority.
After 66.3 percent of votes counted, Netanyahu's far-right and ultra-Orthodox bloc could win only 53 seats, and Likud emerged as the largest single party, with 27 seats.
The anti-Netanyahu bloc, consisting of left-wing, centrist and right-wing parties, managed to win 48 seats, and the prime minister candidate Eisenkot's Yashar won 21 seats.
Arab parties - the Joint list and Ra'am - recording their best results ever, following a high turnout among Arab Israeli voters, together won 19 seats.
According to Israel's constitution, a prime minister needs 61 seats to form a government in the 120-member parliament, which is very difficult in the nation's fractured political scenario.
Some reports say the Arab parties could emerge as kingmakers.
The opposition 'change bloc', can gain a majority to form a government with the support of Arab-led parties, but most of the parties in the alliance are against it, citing a lack of shared values.
Netanyahu's bloc faced a political setback by losing 11 seats from their strength of 64 seats in the outgoing parliament.
With chances of Netanyahu forming a majority government remaining dim, his Likud party accused the Arab-led parties of 'stealing' the election, and that voters were 'bribed' to vote for them.
While Home security agency Shin Bet launched a probe to see if they received illegal funding from Qatar and Turkey, acting Director General of of the Central Elections Committee Dean Livne said the allegations are baseless.
Qatar's foreign ministry dismissed the allegations as 'ridiculous and dangerous' and said it is a disinformation campaign against the Qatari government.
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