Israeli media reported that Shin Bet had information about suspected illegal money transfers before polls.
Israel’s domestic security agency, Shin Bet, is investigating suspicions that Qatar and Turkey sent money into the country to influence voting in Arab communities, raising questions about possible interference in the pivotal polls.
The agency had been investigating the matter for days before informing Sohlberg, according to N12. The report also said a confidential security assessment took place on election day, but the information was not disclosed there. Balad chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh called the accusations a “racist blood libel”, while Democrats chairman Yair Golan said genuine allegations should be investigated but accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to delegitimise Arab voters.
Sohlberg instructed Zini to gather evidence that could either confirm or disprove the allegations and requested available findings during the coming week, given the deadline for election appeals.
Israeli media reported that Shin Bet had information about suspected illegal money transfers before the election day but did not share it with the CEC at the time.
Asked whether the probe could lead to another election, the source said it was “far too early for such a question”. He added that investigators first needed to establish whether any wrongdoing had occurred and whether it affected the distribution of seats in the Knesset. Meanwhile, the investigation is not expected to delay the announcement of final results or prevent President Isaac Herzog from asking a party leader to begin forming a coalition, a committee source told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.