Shin Bet has 7 days to report on Qatari funds in Israeli election
The internal security agency will investigate whether foreign cash drove the surge in Arab voter turnout during the October 27 vote.
By Giulia Donovan ·
Israel's internal security agency has a one-week deadline to determine if foreign money influenced the recent national election. The probe focuses on the sharp rise in participation among the country's Arab citizens.
Justice Noam Sohlberg, chair of the Central Election Committee, ordered the Shin Bet to look into the matter. He cited serious suspicions of improper influence through foreign funding. The agency is required to submit its findings by November 5.
The investigation follows the October 27 national vote. Channel 12 reported that the Shin Bet suspects Qatar of moving funds to boost Arab voting. The money allegedly traveled through channels previously used for terror financing.
Voter turnout among Israeli Arabs reached 80 percent in this election. That figure is double the approximately 40 percent participation seen in previous cycles. Polls estimate that Ra’am and the Joint List, the two main Arab parties, will secure 19 seats in the Knesset. This would be an all-time high for these groups.
The suspicion of cash incentives emerged from several sources. Southern District detectives arrested four activists from the Ra’am party on suspicion of election bribery. Investigators found tens of thousands of shekels in their homes. They also found ballots and envelopes marked with the inscription, Gifts from the Islamic movement.
Election observers in various Arab communities reported seeing voters carry fuel vouchers and gift cards. Some voters told officials they received these items in exchange for voting for Ra’am. Likud party officials described the situation as widespread electoral fraud and ballot manipulation. They called it a coordinated nationwide operation linked to the Islamic movement.
Mansour Abbas, the head of Ra’am, had predicted a surge in Arab voting before the election. In August, he stated that the Arab parties would put Israeli democracy to a test. Abbas leads the political wing of the Southern Branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel. He has also referred to Hamas as a charity rather than a terror group.
Qatar has denied funneling money to Israeli-Arab voters. The country is a major financier of Hamas and a major economic power in the region. The scandal could lead to the nullification of part or all of the Arab vote. Ra’am appears to be a central party in the suspected bribery campaign. Netanyahu’s party has labeled the incident the Ra’amgate affair.
The Shin Bet report is due in seven days. The results will determine if the vote counts for the Arab parties stand or are adjusted. The election results currently show Netanyahu holding the largest electoral vote.
