Supreme Court Sets Deadline for Attorney General's Response on Arab MKs' Election Probe

Israel's Supreme Court has issued an initial ruling on an urgent petition filed by the Im Tirtzu organization (referred to as 'Lavi' in the article) against the Attorney General. The petition concerns allegations of unlawful restrictions placed on law enforcement agencies investigating suspicions of election bribery and foreign interference in the 26th Knesset elections. Justice Ruth Ronen has ordered the Im Tirtzu organization to update the court by Sunday, November 8, on whether a formal response has been received from the Attorney General regarding preliminary inquiries sent on November 2. Based on this update, the Supreme Court will decide how to proceed with the petition and whether to expedite the proceedings.

The petition, submitted by attorneys Yitzhak Bam and Avishag Schwartz, demands that the Shin Bet and Israel Police be permitted to fully investigate Arab members of Knesset and their parliamentary aides. It argues that the Attorney General's requirement for preliminary evidence before launching an investigation contradicts the law and existing rulings, and that parliamentary aides and Knesset members do not possess immunity from criminal investigation in this matter. The Im Tirtzu organization stated that the Attorney General and her staff are obstructing the investigation into election manipulation, similar to their alleged actions in a previous case, and are preventing the truth from being determined and evidence from being collected during a critical time. The organization expressed its expectation that the court will soon order the Attorney General to act according to the law.