Israel attorney general asks intel services to provide proof of poll fraud

Israel’s attorney general, Gali Baharav-Miara, has called on the Shin Bet security service to provide evidence supporting an investigation into alleged wrongdoing connected to the 27 October parliamentary election. In a statement on 3 November, she said investigators could not question citizens or elected officials without evidence justifying that step. She said the Shin Bet had not passed its material to a joint team with the police for two days, delaying the inquiry. Her statement followed reports that the service wanted to question several Arab political figures and accusations from the ruling Likud party that she was obstructing the investigation.

The dispute comes amid separate allegations of vote-buying and foreign interference, which remain under investigation. Likud has claimed that Arab-led parties stole the election, but has not publicly substantiated that broader claim. Election officials have said the vote was conducted properly and that the suspected foreign interference, even if established, would not invalidate the overall result. The attorney general’s request concerns the evidence needed to pursue particular investigative steps; it does not establish whether the underlying allegations are true or false.