by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
(Worthy News) – A growing confrontation between Israel’s Shin Bet security agency and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara over suspected foreign interference in last week’s elections has intensified political tensions, with opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot warning that the country is approaching a constitutional crisis.
Shin Bet Director David Zini reportedly sought authorization to interrogate four senior Arab politicians, including Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas, Ta’al chairman Ahmad Tibi, and Balad leader Sami Abu Shehadeh, over allegations that foreign money was used to influence the October 27 elections.
Baharav-Miara rejected requests to question three of the politicians as suspects, arguing that investigators had failed to provide sufficient evidence. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party accused the attorney general of obstructing the investigation and attempting to conceal possible election interference.
The controversy intensified Wednesday when the Shin Bet informed Israel’s Central Elections Committee that intelligence indicated a potentially widespread foreign influence operation involving thousands of individuals. The agency said additional investigative work was necessary to determine the full scope of the suspected activity.
Israeli media reports have linked the alleged foreign funding to Qatar and Turkey, although those allegations remain unconfirmed.
Meanwhile, Eisenkot accused Netanyahu and Likud of undermining democratic institutions in an attempt to remain in power, warning that their actions could plunge Israel into a dangerous constitutional confrontation.
Despite the allegations, the Central Elections Committee announced Wednesday that its examination of records from 9,069 polling stations found no evidence that the integrity of the vote had been compromised or that election results had been altered.
The dispute comes as Israel faces a deeply divided 120-seat Knesset, with neither Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc nor Eisenkot’s opposition alliance holding an outright majority, leaving the country’s political future uncertain.
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