Shin Bet lacks evidence for foreign election interference claims, sources say

Law enforcement officials say Shin Bet has not provided evidence to support its chief's claims of foreign interference in Israeli elections, with investigations into funds from the Palestinian Authority finding no link to vote-buying.

Law enforcement officials confirmed that the Shin Bet has failed to provide any evidence supporting its chief David Zini's suspicions of foreign influence on the elections, stating that the case is "definitely not a security matter and there is doubt if it is criminal." According to officials familiar with the results of the Shin Bet and police investigation, a team led by the Shin Bet is investigating an amount of hundreds of thousands of shekels, which arrived based on intelligence from the Palestinian Authority and not from Qatar or another Arab state, as reported by Haaretz on Monday. The Shin Bet has questioned dozens of people on this matter but has so far not provided evidence linking this sum to a bribe for voting for an Arab party, nor any evidence of fuel supply lists used as bribes in the elections, according to the newspaper. Another source told the paper that "all that exists is intelligence without real basis, and everyone realizes, except Zini himself, that this does not even fall under a criminal investigation." Another source added that the police and Shin Bet are expected to submit two separate reports in the coming days to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, recommending next steps, while officials said that if the suspicions remain unfounded, no one is expected to be summoned for questioning.