Joint List Demands Criminal Probe into Netanyahu, Police, Shin Bet Officials
Translated & summarized from Al-Shams by baba
Israel's Joint List political alliance is demanding a criminal investigation into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior security officials over alleged election interference. The group claims Netanyahu's office and the Shin Bet plotted to fabricate charges against Arab activists and surveil Arab lawmakers. The alliance stated that Netanyahu's actions were an attempt to suppress Arab votes after they hindered his government formation. The Joint List called for the suspension of involved officials and an official inquiry into the misuse of state resources for electoral gain.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- The Joint List is demanding a criminal investigation into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and security officials.
- The probe is for alleged plotting to fabricate charges against Arab activists and surveil Arab lawmakers.
- Revelations by Channel 12 reportedly expose panic within Netanyahu's office regarding Arab votes.
- The Shin Bet allegedly sought to eavesdrop on five Arab Knesset members without evidence.
- The Joint List claims this is an abuse of power infringing on fundamental democratic rights.
- The alliance called for the suspension of involved police and Shin Bet officials.
The Joint List, an Arab political alliance in Israel, has called for an immediate criminal investigation into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his chief of staff, and others allegedly involved in a plot to fabricate charges against Arab activists, intimidate them, and conduct illegal surveillance on Arab members of the Knesset. The alliance stated that revelations by Israel's Channel 12 expose the "extent of the panic that has gripped Netanyahu." According to the Joint List's statement, the complaint originated from Netanyahu's chief of staff, with intelligence information provided by a former staffer. These actions reportedly led to the arrest of Arab activists on election day, while the head of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) allegedly requested to eavesdrop on five Arab Knesset members without sufficient evidence. The Joint List considers these revelations a "wake-up call" for state institutions, representing a dangerous abuse of power that infringes upon freedom of expression, privacy, and the right to vote. The alliance asserted that Netanyahu, aware that Arab votes prevented him from forming a new government, resorted to not only inciting against these voters but also attempting to criminalize and intimidate them, a plan thwarted by hundreds of thousands of Arab voters. The Joint List urged the Attorney General to launch the criminal investigation and to suspend police officers and Shin Bet officials involved pending its conclusion. They also called for a freeze on all surveillance files concerning Arab public representatives, their disclosure to the Central Elections Committee, the establishment of an official committee to investigate the exploitation of state apparatus for electoral purposes, and the disqualification of any suspect from forming the next government. The Joint List concluded that Netanyahu "tried to steal our vote, but our vote will bring him down," demanding he face "the interrogation room and the courts."
