Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of threatening democracy and called for an investigation into an alleged electoral maneuver.

JERUSALEM.– Gadi Eisenkot issued a harsh warning against Benjamin Netanyahu after being tasked with forming Israel's next government. He stated that the conduct of the outgoing prime minister and his circle represents a "concrete, direct and immediate" threat to democracy and called for an investigation into an alleged scheme to interfere in the October 27 elections through the use of the Police. On X, he warned that Netanyahu must not remain in power "even one minute longer" and that, as long as he stays in office, there will be no new "fair and legitimate" elections. He said this is the main consideration in his negotiations to form a government. The message came after the Uvda program on Channel 12 revealed details about the arrest of three activists from the Arab party Ra'am on election day. According to the investigation, Netanyahu's office allegedly supplied false information to the Police to provoke arrests and support the premier's claim that Arab parties had "stolen" the elections. The report noted that Ido Norden, Netanyahu's chief of staff, called the Police the day before the vote to report Ra'am activists and referred officers to a supposed intelligence source, a former official from the prime minister's office. The information about three Bedouin men prompted an operation in Rahat: in the early hours of October 27, officers raided homes and detained the suspects on suspicion of vote-buying. Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar PartyGil Cohen-Magen - dpa DPAThe Police said they had found envelopes containing large sums of money. However, the three men were released, no charges were filed, and no relevant evidence emerged. The Police acknowledged before a court that it had searched a home without a judicial warrant. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and the police Investigations Division are examining whether the information was planted to provoke the arrests. Netanyahu and the Likud publicized the detentions as evidence of irregularities and later used them to question the result. The prime minister's office rejected the accusations against Norden: it stated that he received information about a possible crime and merely put the person in contact with the Police. It called the versions about additional intervention false and warned that they could lead to a defamation lawsuit. The program also reported that the head of the Shin Bet, David Zini, requested authorization to tap the phones of five Arab legislators; the attorney general reportedly rejected the request for lack of evidence. Eisenkot demanded immediate explanations from the Police and the Shin Bet, and announced that he will push for a commission of inquiry into the possible intervention of the prime minister's office. He also linked the case to QatarGate, over suspicions of ties between people close to the government and Qatari interests. Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar PartyGil Cohen-Magen - dpa DPAThe case erupts amid decisive negotiations: Netanyahu's bloc lost its majority and President Isaac Herzog tasked Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, with forming a government. No bloc holds the 61 seats in the Knesset, and the Arab parties, with 19 seats, could prove decisive. Netanyahu had warned against a coalition that depends on them. For Eisenkot, the case goes beyond the coalition dispute: the use of security forces to discredit part of the electorate would jeopardize the legitimacy of future elections. The possible manipulation remains under investigation. AP and AFP agencies