What Sohlberg Asked Investigators to Establish
Sohlberg's letter to Shin Bet director David Zini was dated October 28. He asked the agency to obtain evidence capable of substantiating or disproving the suspicions, while expressly acknowledging that he could not assess their merits himself.
The judge said possible involvement by foreign actors working against Israeli interests required investigation. He requested available findings within roughly a week because of election appeal deadlines. The letter identified neither countries nor parties, a distinction that matters when assessing subsequent reports.
Funding Reports Remain Unproven
Ynet reported suspicions involving tens of millions of shekels from Qatar to influence voting in Arab communities. The Jerusalem Post also identified Turkey as a possible source. Neither the amount nor the recipients and use of the money have been publicly established.
Some reports described strong intelligence, while other officials briefed on the inquiry said its scope was smaller than suggested. Acting committee director general Dean Livne described classified, sensitive information requiring examination, rather than verified findings. In a clarification reported on October 30, he said the inquiry concerned no particular community and would not affect the results submitted to the president.
Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari denied on October 29 that Qatar had interfered in the election or financed activities intended to influence its outcome. That denial and the unresolved allegations remain distinct from any eventual investigative conclusion.
The Numbers Behind Likud's Complaints
Sagi Keizler, Likud's election integrity director for the Arab sector, said the party submitted 1,183 complaints. CTech reported his breakdown: 38 suspected bribery cases, 25 allegations of improper police intervention, 66 reports of violence or threats, 115 suspected instances of double voting and 408 complaints about extracting voter information.
Those categories total 652, leaving 531 complaints unexplained by the published breakdown. They count allegations submitted by a party, not proven offenses. Police said they had no investigative or intelligence support for the broad claims of systematic fraud, while maintaining that suspected crimes would be examined.
Separate Arrests and Political Responses
Police arrested three suspects in the Negev early on October 27, before the suspected payments reached polling stations. Officers reported finding cash and Ra'am ballot slips; one suspect said the envelopes contained Islamic Movement donations for needy families. Four more suspects were arrested on October 29, but no established connection between that case and the foreign funding inquiry was presented.
Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas denied involvement and promised cooperation. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich demanded questioning of Arab party leaders, while Avigdor Liberman urged investigators to establish the truth quickly. Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party supported a thorough examination and opposed political attempts to change the new Knesset's swearing in date.
A Completed Count Awaits Formal Publication
The committee's completed count, as reported by Calcalist and i24NEWS, puts Netanyahu's bloc at 53 seats, Eisenkot's bloc at 48 and the Arab parties at 19. Neither of the first two blocs reaches the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120 seat parliament. The completed tally remains subject to checks and formal publication.
Official results are expected to reach President Isaac Herzog on November 4, also the deadline for their publication in the official gazette. Herzog will then consult parliamentary factions, with the Knesset scheduled to be sworn in on November 10. The Shin Bet findings go to Sohlberg; changing results requires the appropriate legal process and evidence, rather than the mere existence of an investigation.
