Police and Shin Bet Clash Over Investigation Into Alleged Foreign Election Meddling
Police Investigations Head Boaz Blat ordered officers to block sharing election affair data with the Shin Bet without his approval, amid an investigation into alleged foreign funding of Arab politicians.
Head of the Israel Police Investigations Department, Deputy Commissioner Boaz Blat, instructed officers not to transfer information regarding the elections affair to the Shin Bet without his explicit approval. The directive effectively restricts cooperation with the internal security agency, even though the police are expected to serve as the operational arm for several investigative actions in the case.
According to Blat, any request from the Shin Bet concerning the elections—such as assisting with retrieving surveillance cameras, conducting interrogations, or any other action—must be routed through him, and officers must not comply without authorization from the department head. The suspected affair involves allegations that foreign entities, including Qatar, Turkey, and the Palestinian Authority, transferred large sums of money to members of the Joint List to influence the elections.
Following days of withholding information, the Shin Bet began transferring intelligence materials regarding polling stations in the Arab sector to the police in batches. The handling of the affair has drawn criticism toward Shin Bet Director David Zini, who demanded that the case be classified under security offenses. Such a classification would allow him to summon Arab party leaders—including Ta'al Chairman Ahmad Tibi, Ra'am Chairman Mansour Abbas, and disqualified Balad Chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh—for questioning without presenting prior evidence.
Another name that surfaced is Ayman Odeh, whose term concludes with the swearing-in of the new Knesset. Reports indicate investigators are examining whether Odeh received hundreds of thousands of shekels from the Palestinian Authority. However, police clarified that there is currently no intention to summon Odeh, who is abroad, as no intelligence linking him to the matter has been transferred yet, and the Attorney General has not authorized such an investigation.
