Israel’s Shin Bet finds no evidence of foreign election meddling: Report

Israel’s Shin Bet has so far found no evidence that foreign money influenced last month’s election, despite allegations by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party. The reported findings cast doubt on claims that the Palestinian Authority or Qatar funded Arab-led parties, whose strong result has reshaped the arithmetic for forming Israel’s next government.

Two senior law enforcement officials told Haaretz the investigation remains open, but has uncovered no transfers of several hundred thousand shekels from the Palestinian Authority or any other Arab country. Dozens of people have been questioned, and major fuel companies reported no unusual activity in fuel cards, another alleged means of bribing voters. The Arab-led parties won 19 seats on 27 October; Israel’s attorney general said she had seen no evidence that could substantiate claims of influence on the result, and police and Shin Bet are expected to submit assessments soon.