Noam Sohlberg says Israel election interference probe lacks proof

Israel election interference inquiry has yet to yield evidence, says Central Elections Committee chair

Tel Aviv, November 13

In a letter to committee members, Sohlberg noted that coordination among the police, the Shin Bet, and the Attorney General's Office is "good," and stated that his review uncovered no evidence that the Attorney General's Office had obstructed Shin Bet requests to carry out investigative steps, The Times of Israel reported.

"The investigation is still ongoing. Confidential information has been presented, material that has not yet ripened into actual evidence, and may never do so; time will tell," Sohlberg wrote to the Central Elections Committee members, according to The Times of Israel.

"I have found that the cooperation between the Shin Bet, the Israel Police and the Attorney General's Office is good... [I] found no instances where the Attorney General's Office refused investigative requests submitted by the Shin Bet," he added, as cited by The Times of Israel.

The Times of Israel noted that Shin Bet director David Zini had previously alleged that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara was impeding the inquiry, whereas Baharav-Miara countered that Zini was attempting to interrogate senior Arab politicians without providing sufficient evidence to warrant doing so.

Additionally, Sohlberg condemned the unauthorised release of investigative documents to the press, warning that the disclosures are damaging the inquiry, The Times of Israel reported.

"My complaint is not about manners or etiquette, but rather about the repeated harm caused to the investigation -specifically to its security-related aspects - as a result of leaks. Such leaks are a malignant phenomenon," the judge stated, according to The Times of Israel.

Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also called for a thorough investigation into alleged foreign interference in the elections, citing suspicions that foreign countries had spent substantial sums to influence the results."There are serious suspicions of foreign countries' involvement with vast sums of money to influence the election results in the State of Israel," he said, adding that the integrity of elections was fundamental to democracy.

Earlier, Israel's domestic intelligence agency, Shin Bet, reportedly informed the Central Elections Committee that intelligence gathered so far pointed to widespread foreign funding and influence operations during the election campaign.

According to The Times of Israel, Shin Bet told the committee that the alleged funding came from foreign countries and actors with "concealed and even hostile interests", while stressing that further investigative work was required to establish the scale of the activity with a high degree of certainty.

The claims have drawn criticism from opposition leaders. Yair Lapid accused the Shin Bet chief's statements of undermining the possibility of a unity government led by Netanyahu, while Yair Golan, head of the Democrats party, alleged that the agency was being used as a political tool.

Meanwhile, Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Change bloc, said opposition parties were committed to protecting the election results, claiming that voters had clearly backed a change in government.

The Central Elections Committee has approved the election results, which are to be submitted to Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Herzog is expected to consult party leaders on who they support for prime minister before deciding whom to task with forming the next government.

— ANI