Shin Bet given one week to investigate foreign-interference suspicions
Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg has instructed Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) chief David Zini to investigate suspected foreign funding and vote-buying allegedly intended to influence voting in the October 27 election.
According to Channel 12, the instruction followed a briefing in which Zini presented information described as “exceptionally grave.” The suspicions concern large sums allegedly transferred from foreign actors to increase turnout among Arab Israeli voters through illegal means.
Sohlberg requested findings, if any, within one week, taking account of the legal timetable for election appeals and publication of the official results.
His letter expressly states that he cannot attest to the substance of the suspicions and directs the Shin Bet to seek evidence that would substantiate or disprove them. The instruction is therefore a demand to investigate, rather than a finding that the allegations have been established.
Channel 12 political commentator Amit Segal reported that the suspicions concern money associated with the Muslim Brotherhood movement. He also reported suspected transfers from Qatar and Turkey through channels used for terrorist financing.
N12’s Yaron Avraham separately reported suspected Qatari funding, with some money passing through routes previously used to transfer terrorist funds. These allegations remain under investigation.
Shin Bet officials were reported to have expressed frustration in recent days over the limits of their authority in this area. They suspect that substantial sums from the Arab world were invested in bribing voters or mobilizing them to vote.
Segal described Sohlberg’s letter as unprecedented in its seriousness, arguing that the judge does not exaggerate his language.
He also described the rise in turnout among Bedouin and Arab voters as unprecedented, citing reported turnout of 80% in Rahat. In Segal’s assessment, Sohlberg wants allegations that foreign money drove that increase to be investigated.
Zini met with Eisenkot in the morning and Netanyahu the previous day to brief them on the affair.
Joint List offers cooperation to establish an alternative government
The Joint List said it was ready for political cooperation to establish an alternative government and would do everything in its power to end Netanyahu’s rule.
It said any alternative government must offer a genuine change, fundamentally alter policies it described as racist, recognize the Arab community’s rights and end the exclusion of Arab citizens and their representatives from the political system.
The party said Arab voters understood the gravity of the moment and turned out in large numbers across the Galilee, the Triangle and the Negev.
It described their participation as an unprecedented show of strength against the government of Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, in the face of what it called incitement, intimidation and racism.
The Joint List said the result demonstrated the community’s determination to defend its rights without compromise.
It also credited what it described as thousands of Jewish democratic voters who supported the party, saying their votes reflected a willingness to resist racism and support peace, equality and partnership.
“We will continue to fight for our community and for a better future for all of us—a future based on full equality and genuine, equal partnership,” the statement said.
