Police Assessment Cools Hopes for Major Election Fraud Charges

The investigation into alleged foreign meddling in Israel’s recent general election faces a steep hurdle after a preliminary police review found little evidence of criminal activity.

Channel 12 reported that the assessment identified few, if any, violations. It found no security breaches, and the few potential criminal issues noted were described as minor. This finding suggests that the high-profile interrogations previously anticipated are now less likely to occur.

The report states that any issues regarding party financing belong under the jurisdiction of the state comptroller, not a criminal or security investigation. The document is being prepared for Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who will decide whether to continue, narrow, or close the case. Police officials expect that without new evidence, the Arab politicians targeted in the probe will not be summoned for questioning.

This development undermines Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s assertion that the election was stolen, a claim that relied heavily on the Shin Bet investigation. Election officials have already declared the vote valid, and law enforcement has maintained that the misconduct probes are limited in scope.

In a statement issued Sunday, Baharav-Miara said she had not seen anything in the investigations that would remotely influence the election outcome. Her comments align with the police view that the current evidence is insufficient to suggest a major impact on the results.

Shin Bet chief David Zini previously sought authorization to question four Arab lawmakers. Ayman Odeh, a former leader of the Joint List, was the only one for whom intelligence material supported the request. A senior official told Channel 12 there is serious doubt Odeh will be questioned, describing his file as thin and noting it might develop into a minor criminal case at most. Odeh was identified last week as receiving hundreds of thousands of shekels in cash from a foreign source.

Separately, i24 News reported that Zini also sought to question current Joint List chief Yousef Jabareen. If approved, this would bring the total number of Arab political leaders the security chief wants questioned to five. The initial inquiry’s scope was broader than the police assessment now suggests.