Police Conclude No Evidence of Foreign Interference in Knesset Elections
Translated & summarized from Al-Shams by baba
Israel Police have submitted a legal opinion to the government's Legal Advisor concluding no evidence of foreign interference or security violations in Knesset elections. The opinion follows a review of intelligence from the Shin Bet, which had raised suspicions of external funding for Arab parties. The police found weak evidence and suggested potential civil financing violations, contrasting with the Shin Bet's initial security concerns. The Legal Advisor will use this opinion to decide the investigation's future.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Police found no evidence of foreign interference or security violations in Knesset elections.
- The Shin Bet had suspected external funding of Arab parties to influence election results.
- Police cited weak evidence and suggested potential civil financing violations instead.
- The Legal Advisor to the Government will decide the investigation's future based on the police opinion.
- A dispute existed between the Shin Bet and police over the investigation's nature and legal basis.
Israel Police have forwarded their legal opinion to the Legal Advisor to the Government, Gali Baharav-Miara, regarding an investigation into suspected foreign interference in Knesset elections. The police concluded that there were no indications of violations related to election financing or security offenses.
This conclusion follows a review of intelligence materials transferred by the General (Shin Bet) to the police. The investigation had created a dispute between the two bodies over the nature of the suspicions and the legal basis for prosecuting suspects. An Israeli media source quoted a police official stating there was "no drama in the foreign interference case in the Knesset elections, contrary to the picture some tried to paint," highlighting a gap between the Shin Bet's assessments and the police's initial findings.
The developments come amid a public dispute between Shin Bet head David Zini and the Legal Advisor to the Government concerning a request to subject Arab political figures to investigation under warning, and to classify the entire case as a security matter. Baharav-Miara emphasized the need for sufficient evidence before summoning citizens or elected officials for investigation as suspects.
Last week, the Shin Bet began transferring intelligence materials it had gathered to the joint investigation team, after a delay in their submission. Reports had suggested suspicions that entities and individuals linked to Arab parties received funding from external sources, including Qatar, Turkey, and the Palestinian Authority, with the aim of influencing election results.
Conversely, police officials estimated the available evidence to be weak so far, with no security violations detected. They suggested that any proven issues might be related to civil violations concerning party financing, which fall under the purview of the State Comptroller.
The Legal Advisor had previously announced that she had not seen any evidence indicating foreign interference that would affect or change election results, stressing that investigations had thus far revealed limited and separate incidents, and that any investigative action must be based on evidence and legal grounds.
The Legal Advisor is expected to rely on the opinion submitted by the police to determine the next steps, including whether to continue the investigation, narrow its scope, or close it.
