Israeli Police Find No Criminal Violations in Foreign Election Interference Probe

Israeli Police have submitted their findings to Legal Advisor to the Government Gali Baharav-Miara regarding a probe into alleged foreign interference in parliamentary elections. After reviewing materials from the Shin Bet, investigators concluded there were no signs of violations of election financing laws or suspicions of national security crimes. "There is no drama that was tried to be painted around foreign influence on the Knesset elections," a police source told "Walla! News." According to Channel 12 News, police believe the investigation may conclude with the case being closed or significantly scaled back. Sources involved in the investigation stated that law enforcement currently sees virtually no evidence of criminal offenses. Should any violations in party financing be discovered, they might fall under the purview of the State Comptroller rather than the police. The investigation was initiated after the Chairman of the Central Election Commission, Judge Noam Solberg, asked Shin Bet head David Zini to examine suspicions of foreign interference. Israeli media reports mentioned potential monetary transfers from Qatar, Turkey, and the Palestinian Authority to entities associated with Arab parties, which could have been used to influence voter turnout and election results. The Shin Bet forwarded its collected materials to a special investigative team, but disagreements arose between the security agency and the Legal Advisor concerning the sufficiency of evidence to question Arab lawmakers. Baharav-Miara opposed summoning parliamentarians without a solid evidential basis. At one point, it became known that investigators doubted there were sufficient grounds even to question Ayman Odeh, former head of the Joint List. The Shin Bet's materials, according to reports, have not yet confirmed suspicions of large-scale foreign financing. Baharav-Miara must now decide whether to continue the investigation, limit it to specific episodes, or close the case. The police conclusions differ significantly from the initial picture presented by the Shin Bet.