AG blocks Shin Bet from questioning Arab MKs' aides

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has informed the Shin Bet that questioning parliamentary aides from the Joint List as part of the foreign influence investigation requires her specific approval.

The ruling comes after the Shin Bet requested permission to question aides in connection with an investigation involving suspicions against a sitting MK.

According to a report Monday evening by Michael Shemesh on Channel 13, the Attorney General clarified that because the investigation concerns suspicions against a member of Knesset, questioning the parliamentary aides must be viewed as part of the investigation of the MK himself. Accordingly, the aides are covered by the same immunity rules and procedures required for questioning Knesset members.

Voter at polling station | Illustration (Photo: Roi Elimah, Flash90)

The development comes amid an ongoing Shin Bet investigation into suspicions of foreign financing of the recent election. According to reports, a Joint List MK received hundreds of thousands of shekels in cash, though at this stage there is no solid evidence the money was used on election day or that it came from Qatari sources.

The Attorney General, according to the Channel 13 report, made clear that the Shin Bet must first substantiate the suspicions against the MK, and only then will she consider approving his summons for questioning, along with the parliamentary aides. The decision reflects the legal complexity of investigating elected officials and their staff.

Meanwhile, the Likud has petitioned the Central Elections Committee for an urgent session in light of the serious suspicions of foreign interference. But Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Solberg rejected the demand, clarifying that the committee has no authority to refuse to certify the results or to intervene in the investigation.

The developments come at the height of a political crisis, with the Netanyahu bloc standing at 53 mandates and the Eisenkot bloc at 48. The Arab parties; Ra'am with 8 seats and the Joint List with 11 have become the decisive factor in the political balance of power.