Israel Probes Foreign Election Interference Amid Political Storm

The Israel Police on Thursday vowed to safeguard the integrity of the elections with the utmost vigilance, following an order by Israel's Central Elections Committee Chair, Justice Noam Sohlberg, directing the Shin Bet to investigate allegations of foreign funding and interference in Tuesday's polls.

“Every complaint received and every suspicion of an offense related to the purity of the elections will be examined and investigated thoroughly and without bias. We will not allow anyone to undermine the purity of the elections and the democratic process,” Deputy Police Commissioner Danny Levy said.

“For every suspicion of an offense, the Israel Police will act resolutely to uncover the truth and bring those involved to justice, without exception,” he added. The police also announced several arrests in connection with the investigation.

“Following the arrest of three suspects from the south on the morning of Election Day on suspicion of election bribery, and the decision to transfer the investigation file to Lahav 433, four men were arrested for questioning during the morning on suspicion of involvement in the affair. They are being interrogated at this hour at the unit's offices,” the police said.

The decision to investigate allegations of foreign funding and interference in Tuesday's election has triggered a political storm in Jerusalem, with senior coalition figures calling for action against Arab political parties. Likud leader and incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the development as an “earthquake” and urged Zionist parties to reject any political alliance with Ra'am and the Joint List.

Sharing a statement issued by his party, Netanyahu said: “The Ra'amgate affair is an earthquake. They stole the elections in Israel-! Judge Solberg's statements about the involvement of foreign entities that interfered and bribed voters in favour of the Arab parties are an unprecedented shock.”

He alleged that the suspected interference amounted to an attack on democracy intended to facilitate a foreign takeover of the Knesset, the Islamisation of Israel and the removal of right-wing rule. He also linked the allegations to potential security consequences, including what he described as a retreat and defeat of the Israel Defense Forces across multiple fronts, particularly in Iran.

“After it was revealed that foreign entities tried to take over the Knesset, it is clear that no Zionist party should cooperate with Ra'am and the Joint List, replace the Knesset Speaker through votes bought for cash, and form a government that is dangerous to Israel,” Netanyahu said.

He called for the Shin Bet and police to use all available means to investigate the allegations. Finance Minister and Religious Zionism Party leader Bezalel Smotrich also called for the heads of Arab parties to be questioned by the Shin Bet.

“The suspicion of election interference with foreign Islamist money is a litmus test for the State of Israel. The heads of the Arab parties must be interrogated by the Shin Bet today. The State of Israel will not be sold to radical Islam with terrorist money,” Smotrich said.

National Security Minister and Otzma Yehudit leader Itamar Ben Gvir echoed the demand, calling for the arrest of Arab party leaders and alleging a connection to Qatari funding.

“The Shin Bet must order, already this morning, the arrest of the heads of the Arab parties suspected of involvement in Qatari money, and of all other suspects in the affair, including figures in the Muslim Brotherhood and its offshoots, insofar as there is a legal basis for their arrest,” Ben Gvir said.

The political reactions followed a request by Central Elections Committee Chair Justice Noam Sohlberg to Shin Bet chief David Zini to investigate allegations of foreign interference in Tuesday's election. In a letter to Zini, Sohlberg said he had been made aware of “serious suspicions” of improper influence on the electoral process through funding provided by foreign entities allegedly acting against Israeli interests.

“While I cannot attest to the substance of these suspicions, it is my view that — given they involve foreign entities — there is an obligation to investigate them thoroughly,” Sohlberg wrote, according to Israeli media reports. He instructed the Shin Bet to use its authority to establish whether the allegations could be substantiated.

“In light of this, I instruct you to do everything in your power to investigate these suspicions, utilizing the authority of the Shin Bet to uncover evidence that either substantiates or refutes them. Only in this way can we ensure public trust in the electoral process and the integrity of the democratic procedure,” he added. Sohlberg has asked the Shin Bet to submit its findings within a week.

The investigation could have significant implications for coalition negotiations, particularly the possibility of Arab parties joining forces with the bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot to form a government. With the allegations yet to be established, the investigation has added another layer of uncertainty to an already delicate political situation. Government formation now appears increasingly precarious, leaving President Isaac Herzog's eventual decision on whom to invite to form the next government especially consequential.