Attorney General Rebukes Security Chief Over Election Probe

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara issued a public rebuke to Shin Bet chief David Zini on Tuesday, stating that the security service lacks sufficient evidence to interrogate three of four Arab politicians targeted in an alleged foreign election interference case. The confrontation marks a rare public clash between the two senior officials over the scope of the investigation into the recent Israeli elections.

The Shin Bet plans to question Ra'am party leader Mansour Abbas, Ta'al faction head Ahmad Tibi, and Balad faction chief Sami Abu Shehadeh. A fourth suspect is a senior Joint List lawmaker whose identity is currently sealed by court order. According to i24News, the agency has provided prosecutors with material only regarding the unnamed fourth lawmaker. No evidence has been submitted for the other three, despite their inclusion in the investigation plan.

Baharav-Miara requested the evidence before approving the interrogations. The Shin Bet has failed to hand over the necessary material to the police, even though the two agencies agreed to form a joint investigative team just two days prior. The attorney general confirmed that the delay has hindered the probe and said authorities are working to reach a conclusion on the matter.

In a statement, Baharav-Miara’s office asserted that in a country governed by the rule of law, citizens and elected officials cannot be interrogated without justifying evidence. “If the Shin Bet or any other party has evidence that justifies an investigation, it is welcome to present it,” her office said. The statement added that anyone with an evidentiary basis would be interrogated, but those without one would not.

The Joint List accused Zini of acting as a political arm for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The party claimed Netanyahu is trying to delegitimize the Arab public, which voted in large numbers against his government. “We will not allow Netanyahu and Zini to turn the votes of hundreds of thousands of Arab citizens into a security threat and their elected representatives into suspects,” the party stated. It noted that Abbas, Tibi, and Abu Shehadeh were all candidates in the election held last week.

Abbas responded by saying he and all members of his Ra'am party were willing to answer any summons from law enforcement. He urged authorities to honor the voters' decision and denounced what he called an attempt to tarnish the Arab public. Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s Likud party accused the attorney general of blocking the interrogations. Likud claimed Baharav-Miara was working to cover up the investigation into election contamination and described the situation as selective enforcement.

Likud has been seeking to delay the publication of final election results pending the outcome of the probes. The results showed that Netanyahu's coalition lost its majority in the Knesset. Officials have affirmed that the results remain valid despite an alleged vote-buying scheme linked to Ra'am and a separate probe into foreign interference, reportedly involving Qatar. Netanyahu has used these allegations to cast doubt on the outcome, though officials stress the investigations are limited in scope.

On Sunday, Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg reiterated in a video message that the election was conducted properly. He appeared alongside Zini, CEC acting director general Dean Livne, and Baharav-Miara in a display of unity. Late Tuesday, Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot warned Zini against politicizing the agency. “Woe to anyone who abuses their authority for political considerations,” Eisenkot wrote on X, referring to the need for authorities to serve the country rather than the prime minister.

Eisenkot warned of a dangerous constitutional crisis, stating that Likud and Netanyahu were attempting to carry out a pogrom on democracy and the rule of law. Democrats party chairman Yair Golan also accused Zini of turning the Shin Bet into a political tool. Golan called the reports a grave warning sign and urged opposition leaders to form a government quickly. He said the next administration must review Netanyahu's appointments, including Zini's, to ensure security agencies serve the state rather than political interests.