Bereaved Families to Demand Shin Bet Chief Re-evaluate Ra'am's Terror Ties

The "Choosing Life" bereaved families' forum plans to petition Shin Bet Director David Barnea in the coming days, requesting an updated security assessment of the United Arab List (Ra'am) party's alleged ties to terrorism. This dramatic move follows the Attorney General's decision not to seek a new security opinion on Ra'am, opting instead to rely on an older assessment from the previous Shin Bet chief's tenure.

The forum contends that the current Attorney General has overlooked recent investigations and evidence that purportedly link organizations ideologically and organizationally connected to the Islamic Movement, the basis of Ra'am, to the transfer of funds and aid to entities identified with terrorism. These include documents allegedly showing financial transfers to charities associated with Hamas, as well as connections to other charitable organizations previously shut down by security orders.

A source within the forum stated that the Israeli public deserves to know if a party running for the Knesset has connections to terrorist elements. "If the Attorney General doesn't want to ask, we will approach the Shin Bet chief directly," the source added.

The bereaved families are expected to ask Barnea to review newly accumulated materials, including journalistic investigations and findings previously submitted to the Central Elections Committee. Their goal is to obtain an updated security opinion that will be presented to the Elections Committee and, if necessary, to the High Court of Justice, arguing that only a current Shin Bet assessment can accurately reflect the security situation.