Report: Shin Bet chief tells elections panel head he’ll follow AG’s instructions in vote probe

Shin Bet chief David Zini tells Central Elections Committee chief Noam Sohlberg that he will follow the attorney general’s instructions in the probe of suspected foreign interference in the election, Channel 12 reports without citing sources.

“I won’t move an inch from what the attorney general has instructed me to do,” Zini says, according to the report. “I won’t let the country go up in flames.”

A statement issued last night by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara’s office said, “In a country governed by the rule of law, it is not possible to interrogate citizens or elected officials without evidence that justifies it,” adding that authorities would question anyone against whom there was sufficient evidence.

Zini and Sohlberg agree that the election as a whole was conducted properly and that the investigation should continue, the report says. Sohlberg does not believe it will affect the election results, based on the assessment that only a few thousand potential voters were allegedly involved — well below the roughly 40,000 votes represented by each Knesset seat.

The Shin Bet reportedly says the push to complete the investigation is based solely on professional considerations, with no political motives, rebuffing accusations by opposition parties.

It also denies seeking to question four Arab politicians, as was reported in an i24News report last night, saying it instead sought to question people in their orbit, and says further investigative steps are needed, according to Channel 12.

The Shin Bet reportedly denies allegations that the agency does not intend to pass evidence regarding the probe to the police, and adds that full cooperation is taking place.