Israeli Police Doubt Shin Bet Claims of Election Interference

Israeli police have found no compelling evidence of state security crimes in an investigation into alleged foreign interference in the Knesset elections. Investigators are considering closing the case or significantly scaling back the probe, with the final decision resting with Gali Baharav-Miara, the Legal Advisor to the Government. Initial findings by police investigators diverge considerably from the Shin Bet's earlier assessments. Sources involved in the investigation told Channel 12 that the materials examined contain virtually no signs of criminal offenses, stating, "Currently, we are not identifying crimes against state security and see almost no criminal violations." The police believe that any potential violations might relate to party financing, which could fall under the purview of the State Comptroller. Investigators are open to closing or reducing the scope of the investigation unless new evidence emerges. Police also see no sufficient grounds to question representatives of Arab parties, including Ayman Odeh, former leader of the Joint List. The investigation began amid suspicions that entities linked to Arab parties may have received funds from Qatar, Turkey, and the Palestinian Authority to influence the election outcome. The Shin Bet, under David Zini, had started transferring collected materials to a special investigative team, but disagreements arose between the intelligence service and the Legal Advisor regarding the sufficiency of evidence to question lawmakers. Baharav-Miara opposed interrogations without adequate supporting evidence. Information regarding large-scale foreign funding and its alleged recipients has not yet been substantiated enough to bring charges. Earlier, Noam Solberg, Chairman of the Central Election Commission, stated that even if suspicions were confirmed, they would not invalidate the overall election results. Baharav-Miara also indicated she was unaware of any evidence of foreign interference capable of affecting the vote's outcome, while the Shin Bet had previously emphasized the need for further examination of alleged foreign funding and the extent of possible interference. A final decision on the investigation's future had not been made at the time of reporting.