Shin Bet Lacks Evidence for Foreign Influence Claims in Elections

Law enforcement officials have stated that the Shin Bet has failed to provide any evidence to support claims made by its head, Dov Zini, regarding suspected foreign influence on elections. These officials indicated that the matter is "certainly not a security issue and it is doubtful if it is even criminal." According to sources familiar with the Shin Bet and police investigation, a team led by the Shin Bet has been looking into hundreds of thousands of shekels that reportedly arrived based on intelligence from the Palestinian Authority, not from Qatar or another Arab state, as reported by the newspaper Haaretz on Monday. The Shin Bet questioned dozens of individuals concerning this matter but has not yet presented evidence linking the funds to bribery for votes for any Arab party. The agency also failed to provide proof of fuel coupons being used as bribes during the elections, the newspaper reported. Another source cited in the paper stated that "all that exists is intelligence information without a real basis, and everyone realizes, except Zini himself, that this does not fall under a criminal investigation either." The sources anticipate that the police and Shin Bet will submit separate reports to the Legal Advisor to the Government, Gali Baharav-Miara, in the coming days, recommending further steps. If the suspicions remain unfounded, it is not expected that anyone will be summoned for questioning. Baharav-Miara stated on Sunday that she is "not aware of any infrastructure (data) that could, even approximately, affect election results or establish a claim of influence that could lead to a change in election outcomes." She added that "when an evidentiary infrastructure is available, those who must be investigated will be investigated. This is not a matter of left or right, nor of Jew or Arab. The decision to question someone is a professional, objective, and equal decision; it was and will be so." Allegations of foreign interference in the elections surfaced before election day concluded, with Zini claiming that substantial sums of money were transferred from a foreign entity to influence the election results. He requested that MKs Ahmed Tibi and Mansour Abbas, along with Balad party head Sami Abu Shehadeh, provide any evidence against them. The police are reportedly still awaiting concrete evidence from the Shin Bet regarding Zini's allegations, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly using these claims to bolster his campaign against the formation of a new government.