Israeli elections chief orders Shin Bet probe of foreign influence on vote

Israeli Supreme Court Deputy President Noam Sohlberg, who chairs the country’s Central Elections Committee, instructed Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) head David Zini on Wednesday to investigate suspected foreign funding and election bribery in Tuesday’s Knesset election, according to a letter published by Channel 12 News on Thursday.

“Serious suspicions have been brought before me of improper influence, through foreign funding by external actors acting against the Israeli interest, on the elections,” Sohlberg wrote.

“I cannot attest to the nature of the aforementioned suspicions,” he continued. Because the suspicions concern foreign actors, there is “a duty to investigate them properly,” he wrote.

“Only in this way can we ensure public trust in the election process”

Sohlberg instructed the domestic intelligence agency “to locate evidence to substantiate the aforementioned suspicions or to refute them.”

“Only in this way can we ensure public trust in the election process,” he wrote.

Citing the legal deadlines for filing election appeals, Sohlberg asked Zini to present any findings within a week.

Channel 12 reported that the suspicions concern Qatar

The letter does not name the foreign actor, but Channel 12 reported that the suspicions concern Qatar. According to the report, large sums allegedly flowed from Doha to illegally boost voter turnout in the Arab sector.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party on Wednesday accused Arab parties of stealing the election through widespread fraud and called for a police and Shin Bet investigation.

The party alleged that thousands of envelopes containing cash and United Arab List (Ra’am Party) ballots were handed out at polling stations in Arab communities. It also alleged identity fraud and ballot-count discrepancies.

© JNS