Israeli State Comptroller Warns of Unpreparedness for Foreign Influence Ahead of Elections

A report released by Israeli State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman on Tuesday reveals that Israel is ill-prepared to handle foreign influence attempts on digital platforms ahead of the upcoming Knesset elections. Despite the issue being known to the security establishment and government for nine years, there is still no national policy or designated government body leading the response. Englman emphasized that these deficiencies leave the Israeli public vulnerable to foreign digital influence, especially during crises, wars, and elections.

The report highlights Israel's difficulties in both detecting and addressing foreign influence attempts online. Currently, there is no formal mechanism allowing the public or civil society organizations to report suspected foreign interference to authorities. Following the outbreak of the Iron Swords war, the National Cyber Directorate developed an inter-ministerial action plan to combat foreign influence, submitting it to the Prime Minister in September 2024. However, by mid-2025, the plan had not been reviewed. Only after the State Comptroller's intervention was the plan sent for evaluation by the National Security Council, and necessary funding for implementation has yet to be approved.

The report stresses the urgency of addressing this issue before the imminent elections to prevent erosion of public trust in state institutions. It also notes that the principles established by the Ministry of Justice in 2019 to counter foreign election interference have not been updated, despite significant advances in artificial intelligence and misinformation technologies since then. Separately, the Central Elections Committee is considering live broadcasting the vote count amid concerns over psychological warfare campaigns targeting Israeli voters.