Netanyahu Questions Tibi's Qatar Visit Amid Shin Bet Foreign Meddling Probe
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu questioned MK Ahmad Tibi's pre-election visit to Qatar as the Shin Bet investigates suspected foreign funding intended to illegally influence Arab voter turnout.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed serious suspicions of foreign interference in the 26th Knesset elections, pointing to MK Ahmad Tibi in a post on X. Netanyahu questioned Tibi's visit to Qatar four days before the vote, amid allegations that foreign funds from countries including Qatar and Turkey were unlawfully used to influence voter turnout within the Arab sector.
Netanyahu's remarks follow an order by Central Election Committee Chairman Justice Noam Solberg instructing Shin Bet Director David Zini to investigate information regarding potential foreign meddling to rig Israeli elections. The core suspicion involves large sums of money allegedly funneled from abroad to illegally encourage voting, with authorities also examining potential financial flows from Turkey.
Tibi's Al Jazeera Interview and Political Strategy
Tibi's Qatari visit reportedly coincided with an interview he gave to Al Jazeera prior to the elections. During the broadcast, Tibi stated that his faction's first move following the elections would be to unseat Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, whom he accused of turning the parliament into an arena of racism and Kahaneism. Tibi added that the faction aims to help form an alternative government without Netanyahu, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Bezalel Smotrich, offering a security safety net in exchange for policy advances.
Although Qatari and Turkish funding avenues are under scrutiny by the Shin Bet, authorities have emphasized that no conclusive evidence has yet been presented to prove that voters received unlawful compensation or that Tibi was personally involved in illegal financing. Justice Solberg requested that the Shin Bet submit its preliminary findings within a week due to strict statutory timelines for election appeals.
