Shin Bet Chief Accuses Attorney General of Blocking Questioning in Foreign Interference Investigation
A confrontation has erupted between Shin Bet director David Zini and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara over an investigation into suspected foreign interference in Israel’s recent Knesset elections, with the security chief reportedly accusing government legal officials of obstructing efforts to question parliamentary aides connected to an Arab Knesset member.
According to a Monday evening report by Channel 13, Baharav-Miara has withheld authorization for Shin Bet investigators to interrogate aides associated with the Joint List, insisting that additional evidence must first be presented to justify investigative steps involving the lawmaker.
The disagreement centers on the legal protections afforded to Knesset members and the extent to which those protections apply to their parliamentary staff. Baharav-Miara reportedly determined that because the investigation involves allegations concerning an MK, questioning the lawmaker’s aides must be treated as part of the same investigation and subjected to the relevant immunity procedures and approval requirements.
Under the attorney general’s position, investigators must first establish a sufficient evidentiary basis for their suspicions against the Knesset member. Only after reviewing that material would she consider authorizing the questioning of the MK and the parliamentary aides involved.
Zini has reportedly objected strongly to the restrictions, arguing that the legal authorities are interfering with the Shin Bet’s ability to pursue a sensitive investigation into possible foreign involvement in Israel’s democratic process.
“The legal advisers are trying to slow me down and bypass me. This is unacceptable to me.”
The reported dispute has added another layer of controversy to the investigation into allegations that foreign money was used to influence voting in the October 27 election. Israeli media have reported suspicions involving funding from Qatar or Turkey, although the origins of the money, its intended recipients, and whether any criminal offenses occurred remain under investigation.
Likud responded to the Channel 13 report with a sharp attack on Baharav-Miara, accusing her of “selective enforcement on steroids.” The party argued that the attorney general had authorized investigations involving senior government officials in the past but was now placing obstacles before investigators examining suspected foreign involvement in the elections.
“In her campaign of persecution, Baharav-Miara readily authorized investigations of ministers, Knesset members, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, advisers to the Prime Minister, advisers to ministers, and others. Now, when it comes to a serious affair involving foreign interference in Israel’s elections, she is doing everything in her power to obstruct efforts to uncover the truth.”
The dispute follows separate reports of disagreements within the Shin Bet over the scope of the investigation. According to Kan News, some senior security officials have questioned whether the available intelligence provides sufficient grounds for the more extensive investigative measures sought by Zini. Legal authorities have reportedly raised concerns about proceeding without stronger evidence concerning the suspected offenses and the source of the funds.
The investigation was authorized by Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg, who instructed the Shin Bet to examine suspicions of improper foreign financing intended to influence the election. The inquiry is being conducted in cooperation with police and prosecutors under Sohlberg’s supervision.
On Sunday, Sohlberg appeared in a joint video statement alongside Zini and Baharav-Miara, declaring that the elections had been conducted properly and that the investigation would not invalidate the overall results. He said the inquiry would continue while the official election process proceeded as scheduled.
The allegations have taken on particular political significance because neither Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s bloc nor the opposition led by Gadi Eisenkot secured a Knesset majority. The Arab parties, which won a combined 19 seats, could play an important role in determining the next government’s composition.
Likud concluded its response by demanding that the attorney general permit the security service to pursue the investigation without further restrictions.
