Israeli police have reportedly concluded that there is scant evidence to support the security agency Shin Bet's investigation into alleged foreign interference in last month's general election. According to a report by Channel 12, a preliminary police assessment identified few, if any, criminal offenses and found no security violations. Any potential criminal violations that were noted were described as minor.
The report indicates that possible violations related to party financing would fall under the jurisdiction of the state comptroller rather than being subject to a criminal or security investigation. This assessment is being prepared for Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who will make the final decision on whether to continue, narrow, or close the investigation.
Police officials reportedly expect that, absent new evidence, the Arab politicians implicated in the probe and individuals in their circles will not be summoned for questioning. The officials stated that the case could either collapse entirely or be substantially narrowed in scope. This development casts doubt on the likelihood of high-profile interrogations that were previously anticipated.
The findings deal a significant blow to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claims that the election was stolen, a contention that relied heavily on the foreign interference probe. Election officials have already stated that the vote was conducted properly, while law enforcement has maintained that the probes into election misconduct are limited in scope.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Attorney General Baharav-Miara said she had not seen anything in the investigations of possible election fraud that would even remotely influence the outcome of last month's vote. Her comments align with the preliminary police view that the evidence is insufficient to suggest a major impact on the results.
Shin Bet chief David Zini had previously asked the Attorney General to authorize security questioning of four Arab lawmakers. Ayman Odeh, a former leader of the Arab-led Joint List, was the only lawmaker for whom intelligence material was presented in support of the request. However, a senior official told the network that there is serious doubt Odeh will actually be questioned.
The official described the file concerning Odeh as thin, noting that it might, at most, develop into a minor criminal case. Odeh was identified last week by Hebrew media as the senior Arab lawmaker suspected of receiving hundreds of thousands of shekels in cash from a foreign source. Despite this identification, the preliminary assessment suggests the evidence is not strong enough for a major case.
In a separate development, i24 News reported on Sunday that Zini had also sought to question current Joint List chief Yousef Jabareen. This request would bring the number of Arab political leaders the security chief wanted questioned to five. The addition of Jabareen to the list of potential interviewees highlights the scope of the initial inquiry, even as the police assessment suggests a potential reduction in that scope.
