Israeli AG blocking security agency’s election interference probe – report

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara reportedly clashes with security chief over investigation into foreign election interference.

By World Israel News Staff

A confrontation has erupted between Shin Bet Director David Zini and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara over the investigation into suspected foreign interference in Israel’s October 27 elections, after the attorney general reportedly blocked efforts to question parliamentary aides associated with the Arab Joint List party.

According to a Monday evening report by Channel 13, Baharav-Miara informed the Shin Bet that investigators would need her authorization before questioning the aides, arguing that the investigation involved suspicions against a sitting member of Knesset and therefore required compliance with the legal procedures governing investigations of lawmakers.

The attorney general reportedly demanded that investigators first establish an evidentiary basis for the suspicions against the unidentified MK before she would consider approving questioning of the lawmaker and his parliamentary staff.

Zini sharply criticized the restrictions, accusing government legal advisers of interfering with the investigation.

“The legal advisers are trying to slow me down and circumvent me. This is unacceptable to me,” Zini reportedly told Baharav-Miara.

The dispute is part of a broader confrontation over the Shin Bet’s handling of allegations that foreign entities illegally financed activities intended to boost Arab voter turnout in last week’s election.

Channel 13 also reported that Zini had demanded that Israel Police be excluded from the investigation, despite an agreement announced Sunday by Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg to establish a joint investigative team involving the Shin Bet, police and the State Attorney’s Office.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party responded angrily to reports that Baharav-Miara was restricting the investigation, accusing her of “selective enforcement on steroids.”

“In her campaign of persecution, Baharav-Miara readily authorized investigations of ministers, Knesset members, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, advisers to the Prime Minister, advisers to ministers, and others,” the party said.

“Now, when it comes to a serious affair involving foreign interference in Israel’s elections, she is doing everything in her power to obstruct efforts to uncover the truth.”

Likud demanded that the attorney general permit the Shin Bet to complete its investigation and stop what the party described as efforts to cover up the affair.

The confrontation follows reports that investigators are examining allegations of foreign funding connected to Arab political activity during the election campaign.

Qatar and Turkey have been mentioned in reporting about the suspected interference, although the identities of the alleged foreign sponsors and the ultimate destination of any funds have not been conclusively established.

The investigation has become a major political controversy following an election in which Netanyahu’s governing bloc won 53 seats, eight short of a parliamentary majority, while the Joint List and Ra’am secured a combined 19 seats.

On Sunday, Sohlberg appeared alongside Zini and Baharav-Miara in a joint statement defending the integrity of the election.

“The election for the 26th Knesset was conducted properly,” Sohlberg declared, emphasizing that the results “reflect the will of the voters.”

He acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations but stressed that the investigation had not produced evidence capable of invalidating the election results.

“Suspicions are only suspicions,” Sohlberg said. “Solid evidence is required to challenge the election results.”

The dispute intensified Monday when Likud attorney Ilan Bombach demanded an urgent meeting of the Central Elections Committee’s leadership before certification of the results.

Sohlberg rejected the request, declaring that the committee had no authority to suspend the process because of an ongoing criminal or security investigation.

“Elections have results, and they do not depend on the consent of the majority group in the outgoing Knesset or its representatives,” he wrote.

The official election results remain scheduled for submission to President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday as investigators continue examining the foreign interference allegations.

2026 Israeli electionDavid Zinielection interferenceGali Baharav MiaraShin Bet