Israel Boosts Security for Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg

Israel Police have ordered increased security measures for Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, who also serves as the chairman of the Central Elections Committee. The Elections Committee confirmed that Sohlberg is being protected according to police guidelines but declined to provide specific details about the security arrangements.

The decision comes amid the ongoing election campaign, against the backdrop of Sohlberg's activities as the head of the election process. Approximately two months ago, Justice Sohlberg issued a rare warning regarding conduct leading up to the elections, stating at a conference at the Hebrew University that "we must be prepared for a crisis situation in the elections, the boundaries of the permissible and the forbidden are blurring."

On the same day, the deputy chairwoman of the Central Elections Committee, Yael Ron Ben-Moshe, contacted Sohlberg to request details on the state's preparedness to handle foreign interference, the dissemination of false information, and the deceptive use of artificial intelligence during the election period. In her letter, Ron Ben-Moshe warned of attempts at foreign intervention, disinformation campaigns, and manipulative use of AI tools aimed at influencing public opinion.

Additionally, the State Comptroller Matanyahu Engelman had warned about eight months prior regarding dangers to election integrity. Speaking at Cyber Week at Tel Aviv University, Engelman stated, "Election integrity is in danger, we found significant deficiencies in Israel's preparedness for foreign influences on the 2026 elections. The government and the Elections Committee must come to their senses and prepare." Engelman also addressed the possibility of foreign influence on the election system, citing cyber threats from Iran and cases of Iranian espionage exposed in Israel. He added, "We must recognize that foreign influences may emerge and affect our democratic process."