Eisenkot Meets Shin Bet Chief, Backs Election Interference Probe

Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, met with Shin Bet Director David Zini on Thursday to receive an update on suspicions of foreign interference in the 26th Knesset elections. During the meeting, Eisenkot expressed his support for the Shin Bet and law enforcement agencies, emphasizing the need for a swift and transparent conclusion to the investigation.

The meeting occurred amidst public controversy surrounding allegations of foreign funding and undue influence aimed at manipulating the elections. Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Solberg had previously instructed Zini to investigate these suspicions.

Eisenkot had earlier taken to social media platform X to call for an immediate investigation into the allegations. In his posts, he also strongly criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him and his allies of attempting to exploit the situation to undermine election results and delay the Knesset's swearing-in. Eisenkot suggested that Netanyahu was orchestrating a campaign to manipulate public opinion and delegitimize the upcoming Knesset.

The Likud party responded to Eisenkot's statements, accusing him of leading an influence operation to legitimize election bribery for his Arab party partners, with whom he allegedly intends to form a government whose votes were bought with foreign money.

The investigation began shortly before the election polls opened, with police arresting three suspects in the Negev and seizing tens of thousands of shekels in cash along with official voting slips for the Ra'am party. The primary suspicion is an organized mechanism of direct payment to voters in exchange for casting their ballots. Four additional suspects were arrested on Thursday and are undergoing intensive interrogation, with authorities planning to seek their remand extension.