Israel’s National Security Minister has called on the domestic security service to arrest the leaders of all Arab parties for questioning over alleged foreign funding in the October 27 general election.
Itamar Ben Gvir, head of the right-wing Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party, today urged Shin Bet chief David Zini to act even without the approval of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. He said they should be held “in Shin Bet basement cells” until the suspicions were cleared up.
Ben Gvir also demanded an immediate freeze on certifying the results and forming a new government. He insisted the election had been stolen and that no stone should be left unturned to uncover the truth.
The minister was responding to a Shin Bet summary given to the Central Elections Committee (CEC) earlier that day. The agency said its intelligence pointed to foreign financing and influence operations “affecting thousands of people, possibly even more”, Ynet reported.
It said the money came from foreign countries and actors with concealed and even hostile interests, but named none and said more work was needed to establish the scale. Law enforcement and police sources told Haaretz they knew nothing of claims involving huge sums or thousands of people.
The briefing came after the CEC presidium had approved the official results. The committee said its review of more than 9,000 polling stations had found nothing to indicate the vote was compromised or the outcome altered.
Likud and the ultra-Orthodox Shas party abstained. Likud’s Amit Halevi resigned from the committee, saying it should endorse only the free choice of Israelis, “not the choice of the rulers of Qatar, Iran, or Turkey”.
According to The Jerusalem Post, Likud is weighing an appeal to the Administrative Affairs Court in Jerusalem. The certification followed days of efforts by Likud and its coalition partners, including Otzma Yehudit, to delay it over claims of fraud and vote-buying in Arab communities.
Zini has also clashed with Baharav-Miara, who on November 3 accused him of undermining the rule of law by seeking to question four Arab politicians with evidence against only one, Israeli media reported.
The results now go to President Isaac Herzog, who would then consult party leaders on who should form a government. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud came first with 27 seats against 21 for Yashar, led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, but neither bloc secured the 61 seats needed for a majority.
Ra’am (United Arab List) and the Joint List won a record 19 seats between them, leaving the Arab-led parties holding the balance of power. Eisenkot’s allies remain divided over whether to rely on their support, while Netanyahu wants a broad national government without them.
