Israel’s election chief orders security probe of suspected foreign op to boost Arab parties

BOMBSHELL DECISION: Security officials investigating allegations that foreign actors, including in Qatar and Turkey, funneled money into Israel to boost Arab parties.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

Israeli Supreme Court Deputy President Noam Sohlberg, who chairs the Central Elections Committee, on Wednesday instructed the Shin Bet security agency to investigate suspicions of foreign interference in Tuesday’s general election, amid reports that substantial sums of money were transferred from overseas to organizations working to increase voter turnout in Israel’s Arab communities.

The Shin Bet has been examining suspected financial transfers for several weeks, including funds allegedly originating from Qatar and Turkey, according to reports by Israeli media outlets.

Some of the financial channels under examination reportedly resemble or overlap with networks previously used to transfer funds to terrorist organizations, including routes involving money changers and local institutions linked to foreign countries.

The allegations have not been independently substantiated, and no findings establishing that foreign money was used to purchase votes have been publicly released.

In a letter dated October 28 and addressed to Shin Bet Director David Zini, Sohlberg described the allegations as sufficiently serious to warrant an investigation into possible attempts by foreign actors to undermine Israel’s democratic process.

“Serious suspicions have been brought before me concerning improper influence on the elections through foreign funding from external actors operating against Israeli interests,” Sohlberg wrote.

The letter, titled “Instructions to Investigate Suspicions Concerning Foreign Funding and Suspected Election Bribery by Foreign Actors,” instructed Zini to use the Shin Bet’s investigative authorities to determine whether the allegations have any factual basis.

Sohlberg acknowledged that the suspicions had not yet been verified.

“I cannot attest to the substance of these suspicions,” he wrote, adding that because the allegations concern foreign actors, they must be thoroughly investigated to safeguard the integrity of the elections and prevent unlawful activity aimed at undermining Israel’s democratic system.

He instructed Zini to employ the Shin Bet’s powers to identify evidence supporting or refuting the allegations.

“Only in this way can we ensure public confidence in the electoral process and the integrity of the democratic process,” Sohlberg wrote.

Citing legal deadlines for challenging election results, the judge asked the Shin Bet director to submit whatever findings could be obtained within the coming week.

“Given the timeframes established by law for filing an election appeal, I ask that you do everything possible to bring before me any findings, should there be any, within the coming week.”

According to a report by Channel 12, Zini had presented Sohlberg with intelligence described as exceptionally serious, prompting the election chief’s intervention.

The allegations come amid growing controversy over possible election bribery in Arab communities, where turnout surged in Tuesday’s election.

On Wednesday,* Channel 14* reported that investigators were examining information suggesting that millions of shekels originating from hostile foreign countries had allegedly been used to purchase votes in Arab communities. The report did not publicly establish the source of the funds or identify the individuals responsible for the alleged transfers.

The controversy intensified following the arrest of three residents of the Negev suspected of involvement in an election bribery operation benefiting the Islamist United Arab List (Ra’am) party, led by Mansour Abbas.

Police discovered envelopes containing tens of thousands of shekels in cash during searches connected to the suspects. Investigators initially suspected the money was intended to be distributed to voters in exchange for supporting Ra’am.

One suspect reportedly maintained that the money was designated for charitable donations to needy families on behalf of the Islamic Movement.

The latest reports indicate that police have found little evidence supporting the initial bribery suspicions and believe the case may ultimately be closed.

Separately, Otzma Yehudit MK Yitzhak Kroizer, along with other right-wing lawmakers and ministers, requested an urgent investigation into allegations of systematic vote-buying benefiting Ra’am.

Their complaint cited reports of voters receiving cash, fuel vouchers and gift cards, as well as allegations of unusually organized efforts to influence voting patterns in Arab communities.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party subsequently alleged widespread election irregularities, including bribery, intimidation, violence, fraudulent voting and the use of prohibited voter-mobilization software.

“The elections in the State of Israel were stolen by Arab parties that support terrorism and the destruction of the Jewish state through serious criminal offenses involving bribery, threats, violence, fraud and the use of prohibited software to encourage voting,” Likud declared Wednesday.

The party said it possessed hundreds of testimonies and pieces of evidence concerning alleged violations at polling stations and was submitting the material to police, the Shin Bet and the Central Elections Committee.

“We demand that the police and Shin Bet conduct a thorough investigation into the theft of the elections by the Arab parties and bring the offenders to justice,” the Likud said.

However, Israeli police rejected the party’s broader allegations Thursday, stating that the information available to investigators did not substantiate claims of widespread election fraud.

“Election Day passed with relatively few unusual incidents concerning election integrity, even compared with previous elections,” the police said.

“There is no investigative or intelligence corroboration whatsoever for the allegations contained in your appeal,” the statement continued.

According to* Israel Hayom*, approximately 50 complaints concerning suspected impersonation and fraud had been received by police, compared with 75 during the previous election.

As of Thursday morning, the Joint List and Ra’am parties have received sufficient votes for 19 seats total, though that figure is likely to decline somewhat as soldiers’ and diplomats’ votes are counted.

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