Shin Bet sat on foreign election funding intel for weeks

The Shin Bet security service held sensitive intelligence on suspected foreign funding of Israeli Arab parties for several weeks before acting, according to new details published in Yisrael Hayom.

At the center of the probe is a Shin Bet investigation into suspected illegal cash transfers from Arab states identified with the Muslim Brotherhood, Qatar and Turkey among them, aimed at driving up turnout in the Arab sector. The suspicion under investigation is that the money was funnelled to parties disguised as legitimate donations originating in Qatar.

A source familiar with the investigation told Yisrael Hayom: "If the suspicions are confirmed, those involved will go to prison for a very long time."

The reason the Shin Bet did not act immediately upon receiving the initial intelligence was tactical: the service preferred to wait until the bribery and cash transfers were actually carried out, in order to build a solid and unambiguous evidentiary foundation.

After the alleged offences were committed and the money began to flow, the Shin Bet approached the chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Judge Noam Solberg, and presented the intelligence materials that had been gathered. Solberg reviewed the material and instructed the Shin Bet chief to open a full and overt investigation, granting the necessary authorities to do so.

Likud fury: "We passed on information three months ago"

Likud claims that as far back as three months ago, it approached Shin Bet chief David Zini directly and passed on detailed reports and messages regarding the illegal cash transfers.

However, sources involved in the investigation say the current move is not necessarily based on Likud’s claims. According to the sources, the key intelligence that prompted the approach to Justice Sohlberg came from the Shin Bet’s own independent intelligence-gathering, and it was on that basis that the agency sought authorization to expand the investigation.

Alongside the Shin Bet probe, Israel Police has entered a state of high alert. A senior police official said that in recent hours, several additional complaints have been filed concerning violations of election integrity. "The police will investigate every complaint thoroughly, and will not allow any harm to the integrity of the elections or to Israeli democracy," the official stressed.

The development comes after the arrest of three residents of Segev Shalom and Ar'ara in the Negev on election day. Searches turned up envelopes containing tens of thousands of shekels in cash, alongside ballot slips and other findings. According to the suspicion, the money was intended to pay voters in exchange for voting for the Ra'am party.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said: "The suspicion of election-rigging through foreign funding is extremely serious. The matter must be investigated thoroughly and the law enforced to the fullest against all those involved." Yisrael Beytenu chairman Gabi Eisenkot responded: "Election integrity must be guarded against any attempt at interference. Political actors must not be allowed to exploit the situation."

The police commissioner stated: "Israel Police has announced that it will guard the integrity of the elections, and so it will do. Every complaint received and every suspicion of an offence relating to election integrity will be examined and investigated thoroughly and without bias."