Police report finds little proof in probe of foreign election meddling

Israeli police have concluded that a Shin Bet probe into foreign interference in the recent election rests on a weak evidentiary foundation, according to a Channel 12 report published on Monday. The preliminary assessment found no security offenses and identified few, if any, criminal violations. Officials described any potential criminal breaches as minor, noting that issues regarding party financing would fall under the jurisdiction of the state comptroller rather than a criminal investigation.

This development challenges Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's assertion that the election was stolen, a claim heavily reliant on the foreign interference probe. Election officials had previously stated that the vote was conducted properly, while law enforcement agencies indicated that their misconduct probes were limited in scope.

A detailed assessment is currently being prepared for Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. She faces a decision on whether to continue the investigation, narrow its focus, or close it entirely. Police officials expect that, barring new evidence, the Arab politicians and associates implicated in the probe will not be summoned for questioning. They believe the case could collapse or be significantly reduced in scope.

In a statement released on Sunday, Baharav-Miara said she had not seen anything in the fraud investigations that would "even remotely" influence the outcome of last month's vote. Shin Bet chief David Zini had requested authorization to security-question four Arab lawmakers. Odeh was the only lawmaker for whom intelligence material supported the request.

A senior official told the network that there is "serious doubt" even in the case of Ayman Odeh, the former leader of the Arab-led Joint List. The official described the file as thin and suggested it might develop into a minor criminal case at most. Odeh was identified last week by Hebrew media as the senior Arab lawmaker suspected of receiving hundreds of thousands of shekels in cash from a foreign source.

Separately, i24 News reported on Sunday that Zini had also sought to question current Joint List chief Yousef Jabareen. This would bring the total number of Arab political leaders the security agency wanted to question to five. The Attorney General's final decision on the probe's future remains pending as the assessment is finalized.