Shin Bet chief seeks investigation of Arab MKs; AG demands evidence

Shin Bet chief David Zini requested Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara investigate Arab MKs Ahmad Tibi, Mansour Abbas, and Sami Abu Shahadeh under caution. The AG demanded evidence before approval, which was not provided except for one unnamed MK. A joint Shin Bet-police team was agreed but has not begun.

In a new development within the campaign questioning the legitimacy of Arab public voting, Channel 24 reported that Shin Bet chief David Zini requested an investigation under caution of Joint List faction head Ahmad Tibi, National Democratic Assembly head Sami Abu Shahada, and United Arab List head Mansour Abbas, as well as another MK whose name was not permitted for publication. According to the channel, government legal adviser Gali Baharav-Miara requested evidence before approving the investigation, but such materials were not provided to her regarding the three leaders. The report added that an agreement was reached to form a joint investigation team of the Shin Bet and police, but the Shin Bet did not transfer the materials to the police despite two days passing. This comes amid the campaign of doubt led by Netanyahu and Likud over election results. A report by journalist Ronen Bergman on the Ynet website revealed a gap between available intelligence materials and the uproar that was raised, quoting a senior intelligence official saying there are no indications of election result tampering. The Central Elections Committee confirmed there is no basis for claims of systematic harm to election integrity, and the Shin Bet itself emphasized that the investigation is limited in scope. Joint List head Youssef Jabareen described Netanyahu's campaign as racist incitement.