The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) is investigating suspicions that foreign entities, potentially including Qatar and Turkey, funneled money into Israel to influence voting in Arab communities, following a directive from Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg to investigate suspected foreign funding and election bribery.
The investigation will not delay publication of the final election results, a Central Elections Committee source told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday. The source said it would also not prevent President Isaac Herzog from selecting a party leader to begin the coalition-building process.
Asked whether the investigation could lead to another election, the source said it was “far too early for such a question.”
“First, we need to examine whether there was any impact and whether it affects the distribution of Knesset seats at all,” he said.
Notably, N12 News reported that the Shin Bet had intelligence information about potential illegal money transfers, but did not inform the CEC, including Solberg.
The report noted that Zini presented information to the CEC that was "extraordinary in its seriousness," on Wednesday night.
Qatar's Spokesperson for the Foreign Affairs Ministry released a statement categorically denying allegations that Qatar has interfered in Israeli elections.
Likud lawyer to 'Post': Party looking into all irregularities at suspected polling places
Separately, a Likud lawyer told the Post that the party intends to seek the invalidation of results at polling stations where it suspects irregularities.
The foreign-funding inquiry, a police investigation into suspected bribery involving Ra’am voting slips, and any legal challenge to election results are distinct proceedings. None of the allegations amounts to a finding that the election results were altered unlawfully.
Israeli media have identified Qatar and Turkey as possible sources of the suspected funding. Channel 13 reported that investigators were examining whether money had passed through currency exchangers and local institutions along routes previously used to transfer terrorist funds, allegedly to encourage voting in Arab communities through unlawful means.
The source, recipients and use of the money remain under investigation. Encouraging voter participation is not, by itself, evidence of election bribery.
Why did the CEC tell the Shin Bet to investigate Qatari influence in the elections?
In his letter, dated Wednesday and made public Thursday, Sohlberg described the suspicions brought before him as serious but expressly said he could not assess their merits. He instructed Zini to use the agency’s powers to obtain evidence that would substantiate or refute them and requested any available findings during the coming week, citing the timetable for election appeals.
The letter did not identify particular countries or political parties.
The investigation was already underway before Tuesday’s vote. During a visit to the Central Elections Committee on Tuesday, Shin Bet chief David Zini publicly described the election as secure and properly supervised.
“There are challenges, and there are those trying to cause harm,” he said, adding that the authorities were succeeding under Sohlberg’s and the police’s leadership.
On Wednesday, Zini presented information to Sohlberg, who subsequently sent the instruction to investigate.
Zini also met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday evening and presented information concerning suspected foreign interference. The meeting was initiated by Zini.
In the separate police case involving suspected payments for votes for Ra’am, investigators announced further arrests on Thursday.
Police said four additional men had been arrested on suspicion of involvement in election bribery and were being questioned by Lahav 433’s National Fraud Squad. Their arrests followed those of three residents of southern Israel on Tuesday morning, Election Day, after which the case was transferred to the unit.
Police had reported finding cash and Ra’am voting slips during searches. Thursday’s statement did not identify a connection between that case and the suspected foreign funding.
Separately, police rejected Likud’s broader claim that the election was stolen. In a statement reported on Thursday morning, police said Election Day had seen relatively few election-integrity incidents and that they had no investigative or intelligence support for the allegations put to them.
Police also said they would investigate suspected criminal offenses and bring those responsible to justice.
Likud alleged on Wednesday that Arab parties had “stolen” the election through bribery, intimidation, fraud and other offenses. It said it was submitting hundreds of testimonies and pieces of evidence to police, the Shin Bet and the Central Elections Committee.
On Thursday, following publication of Sohlberg’s letter, Likud argued that Zionist parties must not cooperate with Ra’am or the Joint List to replace the Knesset speaker or form a government, alleging that votes had been bought.
Balad chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh rejected the accusations as a “racist blood libel,” accusing Netanyahu and his allies of preparing the ground to reject the election results and warning against another election on the basis of false allegations.
Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot called for all complaints to be examined thoroughly while warning that political actors must not exploit the situation to affect the swearing-in date of the 26th Knesset.
Democrats chairman Yair Golan said genuine suspicions of election misconduct must be investigated, but accused Netanyahu of trying to delegitimize the electorate’s decision, particularly Arab voters.
Democrats MK Naama Lazimi accused Likud of creating its own version of the January 6 storming of the US Capitol and urged opposition leaders to remain focused on replacing Netanyahu. She also called for another vote on declaring Qatar an enemy state.
An investigation into suspected offenses does not itself overturn election results. Section 86 of the Knesset Elections Law provides a separate court procedure for challenging them, with no automatic cancellation triggered by suspicions or the discovery of unlawful funding.
The law allows challenges on grounds including elections conducted unlawfully nationwide or at a particular polling station, incorrect allocation of votes between lists, unlawful allocation of seats, or votes obtained illegally. A central requirement is that the alleged irregularity could have affected the election results.
An election appeal must be filed with the Jerusalem District Court, sitting as a court for administrative affairs, within 14 days of publication of the results. The court may extend the deadline in special circumstances, giving reasons for doing so. A three-judge panel hears the case.
Those entitled to appeal include participating candidate lists and their candidates, Knesset members, factions of the newly elected Knesset, members of the central and regional election committees, and the attorney-general.
The court can annul the election nationwide or at a particular polling station and order a new vote. A rerun is not the only possible remedy: it can also correct the allocation of votes between lists and declare the results accordingly, or determine that one candidate was elected instead of another.
A further appeal to the Supreme Court on a legal question generally requires permission from its president and must be filed within 30 days of the judgment.
If the lower court annuls the election nationwide, those entitled to bring an election appeal may appeal to the Supreme Court as of right, even if they were not parties to the original proceeding. The case must be heard by five judges or a larger odd-numbered panel.
The law expressly states that an election appeal does not suspend the Knesset’s work. Its outcome also does not invalidate decisions the Knesset has already taken.
Sarah Ben-Nun, Shir Perets, and Amichai Stein contributed to this report.