Shin Bet Begins Transferring Evidence to Police in Election Probe

The Shin Bet began transferring material regarding alleged election interference to the police on Thursday after days of withholding evidence. The documents concern voting stations in the Arab sector and are being delivered in phases. Additional evidence is expected to be handed over to the police throughout Thursday and Friday.

The materials were collected by the Shin Bet, and the Attorney General requested their transfer to a special investigative team that includes police representatives. Service officials explained that the phased transfer is time-consuming, noting that various procedures and meetings must be conducted to ensure proper handling. The central suspicion involves foreign actors, including Qatar, Turkey, and the Palestinian Authority, allegedly transferring large sums of money to members of the Joint List to influence the elections.

Police emphasized on Wednesday that there is currently no intention or timeline for interrogating members of the Knesset or party officials under caution, including MK Ayman Odeh. Reports had previously suggested broad consensus that sufficient evidence had been gathered to summon him. The Shin Bet informed the Central Election Committee that intelligence points to widespread phenomena of substantial foreign funding entering Israel from hidden and hostile interests aimed at advancing foreign influence.

According to the intelligence agency, the funding operations involve thousands of individuals and potentially more, requiring deeper investigative work. In recent days, Shin Bet Director David Zini faced criticism following reports that he demanded to interrogate senior Arab party officials under caution without concrete evidence. This led to a confrontation with Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who insisted that no citizen or public official can be investigated without reasonable suspicion and a solid evidentiary foundation.