Shin Bet probes suspected foreign funding of Arab parties ahead of Israel election

Israel's Shin Bet is investigating suspected Palestinian Authority and Qatari funding of Arab political parties to influence the October 27 election. The probe is preliminary, with no confirmed transfers. Likud accused the attorney general of obstructing the investigation.

An opinion article on Channel 14 by Yuval Malka, a former police investigator, attacks the conduct of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and Shin Bet head David Zini regarding the suspected foreign interference in the elections for the 26th Knesset. The author claims that Baharav-Miara imposes unnecessary restrictions on Shin Bet and police investigators, and that Zini does not demonstrate professional leadership and does not assert the organization's authority against the legal counsel. The article is based on previous publications on the channel and cites alleged suspicions of money transfers from Qatar and other foreign entities to encourage voting in the Arab community. The author clarifies that he does not cast doubt on the entire Arab public, but on those who allegedly exploited the democratic system. He asks rhetorical questions about the boundaries of the investigation and calls on Baharav-Miara and Zini to act decisively and independently.