Netanyahu's Office Slams Investigative Report as 'False and Dramatic'

An investigative report by Ilana Dayan on Channel 12's "Uvda" program has raised questions about the conduct of the Prime Minister's Office, the police, and the Shin Bet concerning the arrest of three Ra'am activists on election day. The report suggests that intelligence information leading to the arrests may have been passed to the police by an individual formerly employed by the Prime Minister's Office and close to its ex-director-general, Yossi Shali. The Prime Minister's Office vehemently denied the allegations, calling the report "false, wrapped in dramatic music."

According to the investigation, the events began the day before the election when Ido Nordan, Head of Staff in the Prime Minister's Office, contacted the Police Commissioner's office with a complaint about Ra'am activists in the south. Nordan allegedly then directed police officers to an intelligence source who had recently worked in the Prime Minister's Office and was close to Yossi Shali. This source provided information about the three Ra'am activists, which was entered into police intelligence systems. The report claims this information later proved baseless and is now being investigated as potentially planted to facilitate arrests on election day.

Early on election morning, approximately 14 officers raided the homes of three Ra'am activists in the south, including Dr. Seif Abu Riash, a doctor from Rahat. The report presented documentation indicating officers arrived without search or arrest warrants, despite requests from the family. The police had announced that cash, ballots, and Ra'am voting slips were found at the suspects' homes. The arrests were amplified by Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Likud party on election day, fueling claims of attempts to influence the vote. However, the subsequent investigation found no substantial evidence that the money was intended for vote-buying, and all detainees were released.

The investigation is examining suspicions that the intelligence was deliberately planted to bolster the complaint from the Prime Minister's Office and support a political campaign alleging election theft. It also questions the police's involvement beyond making arrests, including planning and public dissemination of information. The report also revealed that on election day, Shin Bet head David Zini requested to monitor five Arab Knesset members and arrest others, citing suspicions of foreign influence, but these requests were denied by the Attorney General's office due to a lack of evidence.

Following the report, Gadi Eisenkot, Chairman of the National Unity Party, criticized Netanyahu and his associates, calling the alleged conduct a threat to democracy and demanding an immediate investigation. He announced plans to establish a committee to examine the Prime Minister's Office's involvement and security agencies' conduct. Yair Golan, Chairman of the Democratic Party, also called for an independent investigation, suspecting intelligence was planted to involve security forces in a political campaign. The Prime Minister's Office, however, maintained that Nordan acted as a law-abiding citizen by connecting an individual with criminal information to the police, denying any further involvement and calling other claims libelous.