MK Rothman Suspects Foreign Interference in Elections, Demands Investigation

Member of Knesset Simcha Rothman stated on 103fm that suspicions of foreign involvement in Israeli elections are no longer in doubt and called for an investigation into its scope and impact on the results. Rothman asserted that if such influence existed, "someone in the Shin Bet likely failed." He recalled that when he initially wrote to the Chairman of the Central Elections Committee and the head of the Shin Bet, the initial reactions were dismissive, accusing him of spreading conspiracy theories. Rothman believes it is "very clear that there was involvement of a foreign state entity in the elections in Israel, and now it remains to check the depth of the involvement." He expressed concern that any limitations imposed by the Attorney General regarding investigations should trouble anyone who cares about Israeli democracy. Rothman questioned the assertion that the interference did not affect the election results before the investigation's outcome is known. When asked if he proposed canceling the last Knesset election results, Rothman responded with a question, suggesting that if the interference affected 50,000 votes, it might necessitate new elections, and if it affected 100,000 or half a million votes, then new elections would likely be unavoidable. He concluded that "the only way to ensure we don't know is not to investigate. If you don't investigate, you won't know."