Shin Bet Accused of Contaminating Election Probe Before It Began
Translated & summarized from Kan News by baba
Israeli election and law enforcement officials are unaware of the evidence used by the Shin Bet to launch an investigation into alleged foreign interference in recent elections. The Attorney General criticized the Shin Bet's conduct, stating investigations require evidence, while the Elections Committee found no proof of compromised election integrity. The Shin Bet has not shared its findings with other agencies, despite knowing about the alleged foreign funding for weeks. The probe was initiated after complaints about foreign funding, particularly from Qatar, aimed at influencing Arab voter turnout.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Israeli election officials lack knowledge of Shin Bet's evidence for foreign interference probe.
- Attorney General criticizes Shin Bet, demanding evidence for investigations.
- Elections Committee found no evidence of compromised integrity in recent elections.
- Shin Bet head David Zini knew of alleged foreign funding for weeks.
- Shin Bet has not transferred investigation materials to other agencies.
- Allegations involve foreign funding, including from Qatar, to influence Arab voters.
Israeli law enforcement and election officials reportedly have no knowledge of the information used by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) to justify its investigation into alleged foreign interference in recent elections. Sources within the investigation told Kan News that the probe was "contaminated before it even began," stating that they were only aware of a "small, contained incident" and had not received further materials from the Shin Bet to assess the scope of the issue.
Despite criticism from Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara regarding the conduct of Shin Bet head David Zini, the two continue to hold working meetings. Baharav-Miara previously stated that citizens or public officials cannot be investigated without sufficient evidence, urging the Shin Bet to present any proof that warrants an inquiry. The Attorney General's office also noted that the Shin Bet had not transferred collected investigation materials to the special investigative team for two days, hindering progress.
Sources indicate that Zini was aware of significant information pointing to alleged foreign funding for election influence for about two weeks, yet he had previously declared the elections' integrity to be "inspiring." The Shin Bet has not shared new materials with Baharav-Miara or initiated further investigative actions since a joint statement with Elections Committee Chairman Noam Sohlberg on Sunday.
Sohlberg presented parts of the Shin Bet's opinion to the Elections Committee, which suggested extensive foreign funding from "hidden and even hostile" interests aimed at influencing elections. However, the Elections Committee announced that its review of election results found no evidence of damage to the integrity of the vote. Law enforcement sources assess the evidence of Qatari involvement in the Knesset elections as weak.
Sohlberg had initially contacted Zini two days after the elections, following complaints from the Likud party alleging that foreign countries, including Qatar, funded campaigns to sway Arab voter turnout. The party claimed foreign entities paid "coordinators" to bring voters to the polls. The Shin Bet is reportedly also examining whether MK Ayman Odeh received money from a foreign entity.
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