Shin Bet Seeks to Question Arab Lawmakers in Foreign Funding Probe
Shin Bet chief David Zini seeks to question Arab MKs over suspected foreign funding from Qatar and Turkey, clashing with the Attorney General over security classification.
Shin Bet Director David Zini has requested authorization to question under caution Ra'am Chairman Mansour Abbas, Balad Chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh, Ta'al Chairman Ahmad Tibi, and another senior Arab MK as part of an investigation into suspected foreign funding of awareness operations during elections, according to media reports on Tuesday.
The investigation focuses on allegations that entities from Qatar and Turkey transferred funds to finance activities aimed at improperly influencing public opinion and voting patterns. Sources indicate a broad consensus regarding significant evidence against the unnamed senior MK, who is expected to be questioned under caution. Meanwhile, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has requested concrete evidence against the other lawmakers before approving their questioning, a step that has not yet materialized.
During a meeting with Baharav-Miara and Central Election Committee Chairman, Supreme Court Justice Noam Solberg, Zini reportedly demanded that the entire case be classified as a security offense. This classification would grant the Shin Bet access to extensive investigative tools, including communication wiretaps, metadata collection, and the prevention of meetings with legal counsel.
Attorney General Baharav-Miara rejected the demand as unlawful, asserting that suspects cannot be investigated using security tools without prior evidence of a security threat. She maintained that election bribery suspicions remain strictly criminal unless security-related offenses are substantiated. Following mediation by Justice Solberg, the official statement was revised to state that the suspicions "may have a security aspect."
