PM's Aide Gave Election Probe Intel Directly to Police Chief

Information that triggered an investigation into Ra'am party activists for alleged election bribery originated from the Prime Minister's Office and was passed directly to the Police Commissioner. It was revealed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Chief of Staff, Ido Norden, conveyed the intelligence to Commissioner Dany Levy via a phone call. This development follows a report that the information came from Netanyahu's office.

Sources involved in the investigation indicated to N12 that the police will not seek to extend the detention of the three Ra'am activists arrested on election day unless evidence is found on their mobile phones. If not, they are expected to be released on Sunday. Four other suspects arrested previously have already been moved to house arrest at the police's request, with investigators citing insufficient evidence against them.

One of the detained suspects appealed to the Supreme Court for release to house arrest, but the court rejected the request. Senior law enforcement officials believe the case is weak and unlikely to lead to indictments, despite the ongoing investigation. The three suspects were apprehended in Segev Shalom and Ar'ara BaNegev, suspected of planning to distribute money to citizens in exchange for votes for Ra'am. Envelopes containing cash, allegedly prepared for voters, were seized from their homes.

Ra'am has denied the allegations, claiming the activists were arrested before polls opened as part of a political effort to suppress Arab voter turnout. Separately, the Shin Bet is investigating alleged Qatari involvement in the elections, stating its information did not come from any political party or figure. A police source clarified there is no connection between the Ra'am activist probe and the Shin Bet's investigation. The Mossad is also assisting the Shin Bet in examining the involvement of other countries, beyond Qatar, in Israeli elections.