Israel Security Chief: Election Probe Rivals 1973 and Oct. 7

Shin Bet director David Zini described the investigation into alleged foreign interference in Israel’s October 27 election as a historic strategic terror attack. Speaking at a recent security conference, Zini compared the influx of foreign money to the strategic shocks of the October 7 Hamas attack and the 1973 Yom Kippur War. He labeled the case the greatest strategic terror attack in the country’s history, a characterization that signals the high priority the intelligence chief assigns to the probe.

The conflict over the investigation’s scope became visible within the agency. Zini attempted to reassign officers from the Palestinian arena to a special team handling the allegations. The specialized unit rejected the transfer, stating that additional personnel were unnecessary. This decision blocked Zini’s effort to concentrate resources on the case, a move some insiders view as disproportionate.

Law enforcement sources told Channel 12 that the Shin Bet deployed special capabilities that exceeded what the current evidence warranted. Sources close to the agency described Zini as convinced that serious events had taken place. They noted that he moved resources in a manner they considered excessive relative to the available data.

Critics within the Shin Bet accused Zini of constructing a misleading picture based on isolated intelligence. These internal accounts suggest the intensity of the response does not align with the volume of evidence. The agency is currently examining three suspected channels for hostile foreign funding. One route was identified before the election, with solid evidence regarding the money’s origin and destination, though the amount involved was described as almost negligible.

Two additional suspected channels emerged after the election concluded. Evidence for these routes is more limited than the pre-election findings. Investigators aim to determine if these financial flows were significant enough to impact the parliamentary race outcome.

The State Attorney’s Office and the police agreed to establish a joint task force with the Shin Bet. Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg announced the team on Sunday. However, the task force has not yet convened. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has accused the Shin Bet of withholding evidence, adding to the friction between the agencies.

The dispute occurs against allegations by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party that the election was stolen by Arab parties. They cited claims of bribery, intimidation, and forgery following record turnout among Arab voters that denied Netanyahu’s bloc a majority. Sohlberg instructed Zini to investigate serious suspicions of foreign funding. Initial reports suggested the funding may have come from Qatar or Turkey to encourage Arab participation. Sohlberg has since criticized the stigmatization of Arab voters, arguing the alleged interference would not have changed the result.