Sohlberg: Suspicions of Election Interference Have Not Yet Matured into Evidence

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Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg updated the committee members that the Shin Bet investigation into suspicions of foreign interference in the elections to the 26th Knesset is continuing. According to him, some of the suspicions are very serious, but the classified information gathered has not yet matured into concrete evidence, and it may never do so. Sohlberg added that he did not find that the Attorney General had blocked investigation requests, and that cooperation between the Shin Bet, the police and the prosecution is proper.

Sohlberg sharply criticized the leaks from the investigation, which he said harm it, and noted that the main points of a classified opinion were published in the media before it reached him. He also defended the head of the Shin Bet, saying he deserves recognition and public trust.

Likud, for its part, says it submitted 1,281 detailed complaints to the Police Inspector General's office, including dozens of cases that it says raise suspicions of election bribery in the Arab sector, and that none of them has yet been examined. According to the party, some 700 reports were passed on to the investigative authorities, but it has received no findings or conclusions. Likud's election-monitoring headquarters appealed to Sohlberg demanding urgent intervention, and Sohlberg approved its review of materials from some 190 polling stations in the Arab sector, ahead of a possible appeal against the voting results.