\BNN Election Coverage | Powered by The Petek\ Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg
By Bernard Moerdler,
\BNN Election Coverage | Powered by The Petek\
Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg has instructed Shin Bet chief David Zini to investigate suspicions of foreign funding and election bribery, according to a letter dated Wednesday and made public today.
In the letter, Sohlberg said he had been presented with serious suspicions that foreign actors had sought to improperly influence the election through funding. He wrote, "I cannot attest to the nature of these suspicions," and instructed the Shin Bet to obtain evidence that could substantiate or refute them. The letter does not identify a country or political party.
Ynet reported a possible Qatari connection to the suspected funding and said the Shin Bet held information beyond the material submitted by Likud. The agency declined to comment on the inquiry, according to Ynet.
Likud has called the affair "Ra'amgate," accused foreign actors of buying votes for Arab parties and declared: "They stole the elections in Israel!" The party demanded immediate action by the Shin Bet and police, and urged other parties not to cooperate with Ra'am or the Joint List to form a government or replace the Knesset Speaker.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also called for the Shin Bet to question Arab party leaders today, according to Ynet.
The allegations follow the arrest of three Negev residents before voting began on Tuesday. Police said they suspected the men of planning to pay people to vote for Ra'am, and that searches uncovered envelopes containing tens of thousands of shekels. Ynet reported that three additional suspects were arrested today in the investigation into suspected bribery for Ra'am votes.
In its election-day response, Ra'am said its activists had been arrested without justification and filed a complaint with the Central Elections Committee, arguing that the party was being targeted, according to Israel Hayom. Mako reported that all three original suspects denied wrongdoing; a lawyer for one said the cash was intended to pay for transportation.
Earlier this morning, police said there was no investigative or intelligence evidence supporting Likud's broader election-theft allegations, according to Walla. Following publication of Sohlberg's letter, a senior police official told Ynet that every complaint and suspicion brought to police would be examined thoroughly.
Sohlberg asked the Shin Bet to bring him any findings during the coming week, citing the legal timetable for election appeals.
Topics: Israeli Politics
Reported by Bernard Moerdler for Bernie News Network. See our editorial standards and corrections policy.