Senior Israeli Official Criticizes Police Over Election Bribery Probe
Translated & summarized from Now 14 by baba
A senior Israeli official and ministers are criticizing the police's handling of an election bribery investigation in the Arab community, with allegations of foreign funding for vote-buying. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir have called for immediate Shin Bet investigations into Arab party leaders. The Central Elections Committee chairman has also tasked the Shin Bet with examining foreign funding suspicions, as the probe expands with new arrests.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Senior Israeli official criticizes police handling of election bribery probe in Arab community.
- Finance Minister Smotrich demands Shin Bet investigate Arab party leaders over foreign funding.
- National Security Minister Ben-Gvir calls for arrests of Arab party leaders linked to Qatari money.
- Central Elections Committee chairman tasks Shin Bet with examining foreign funding suspicions.
- Police arrested additional suspects in the election bribery case, with two held until Sunday.
- Likud party claims evidence of widespread election offenses in Arab community polling stations.
A senior government official has sharply criticized the police's handling of an investigation into alleged election bribery within the Arab community, suggesting the force may have attempted to suppress complaints without thoroughly examining evidence. The official stated, "Police intelligence in the sector is very weak," or alternatively, "they tried to silence the complaints without truly examining the evidence."
This criticism comes as police arrested additional suspects in the case, following earlier arrests. Two suspects remain in custody until Sunday. The investigation centers on suspicions that funds from foreign sources were used to purchase votes in the recent elections, particularly for the Ra'am party.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has demanded that the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) investigate the heads of Arab parties immediately, calling the alleged election manipulation with foreign funding a "test case" for Israel. He warned that "the State of Israel will not be sold to radical Islam with terror money."
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also weighed in, urging the Shin Bet to arrest the leaders of Arab parties suspected of involvement with Qatari money and other suspects, including Muslim Brotherhood elements, if legal grounds exist. He characterized the situation as a "political October 27th."
Meanwhile, Supreme Court Justice Noam Solberg, in his capacity as Chairman of the Central Elections Committee, has instructed the Shin Bet to examine suspicions of foreign funding and election bribery. This directive follows claims of external involvement in activities aimed at influencing votes in the Arab community, with potential funding from enemy states amounting to millions of shekels.
The investigation began with arrests made on election day in the Negev following suspicions of vote-buying for Ra'am. Police seized envelopes containing tens of thousands of shekels in cash, along with party ballots and other evidence. The Likud party has also claimed to possess hundreds of testimonies and evidence of severe offenses at polling stations in the Arab community, including bribery, threats, violence, and fraud, and has demanded a thorough investigation.
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