Full coverage· Security· Updated 12:45

Police Investigations Chief Restricts Information Sharing with Shin Bet on Election Probe

The head of the Israel Police Investigations and Intelligence Directorate, Major General Boaz Balt, has ordered police officers to halt all cooperation and information sharing with the Shin Bet regarding an election interference probe without his explicit approval. The directive, issued on Friday, November 6, 2026, mandates that any Shin Bet requests for assistance, such as retrieving camera footage or conducting interrogations, must be routed directly through Balt's office.

9 newsrooms · 4 languages · since 10:03

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Police Investigations Chief Restricts Information Sharing with Shin Bet on Election Probe — Illustration by baba

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What happened

01Police Investigations Chief Boaz Balt ordered officers to halt all cooperation and information sharing with the Shin Bet on election probes without his explicit approval.
02The directive requires all Shin Bet requests, including help with camera footage and interrogations, to be routed through Balt's office.
03The dispute centers on authority, with the Shin Bet intending to lead the probe and police accusing the agency of withholding full case details.
04The investigation involves suspected foreign funding from Qatar, Turkey, and the Palestinian Authority aimed at influencing Israeli elections.
05The order was issued on Friday, November 6, 2026, just one day after a joint police-Shin Bet task force held its first meeting.
06Shin Bet Director David Zini and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara have disagreed over the security agency's authority and the evidentiary basis for the probe.
07Central Elections Committee Chairman Noam Sohlberg stated that the allegations require further evidence and do not currently impact election results.

The order escalates a severe dispute between the two agencies over the management and leadership of the investigation. The Shin Bet is probing allegations of foreign interference and funding from entities in Qatar, Turkey, and the Palestinian Authority aimed at influencing Israeli elections. While the Shin Bet reportedly intends to lead the investigation, police officials have accused the agency of withholding full case details and providing only fragmented information.

The friction persists despite the recent establishment of a joint police-Shin Bet investigative team, which held its first meeting just a day before Balt's directive. The investigation has also been marked by disagreements between Shin Bet Director David Zini, who sought to classify the case as a national security matter, and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who has emphasized the need for a solid evidentiary basis before expanding the probe.

Summarized by baba from the reports of 8 newsrooms. Updated 19:22

Latest report: Panet. Read Panet’s original

Who reports what

“The Shin Bet demonstrated only a small part of the collected information to police colleagues, refusing to provide the full array of documents.”

per Police representatives

1 of 4 newsrooms · not Ynet, Hamal, Panet

“The Shin Bet leadership unequivocally stated its plans to personally lead the process, assigning the police an exclusively auxiliary role.”

per Shin Bet leadership

1 of 4 newsrooms · not Ynet, Hamal, Panet

“Critics associate the senior officer's tough stance with his personal contacts with the government's legal advisor, who refrained from sanctioning an investigation against suspected Arab parliamentarians.”

per Critics

1 of 4 newsrooms · not Ynet, Hamal, Panet

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