Shin Bet pressed Joint List activists for info on rival Ra’am party during election fraud probe — report

The Shin Bet called in activists from the Joint List for questioning in recent days and pressed them to provide information about the rival Islamist Ra’am party, Channel 12 reports, citing several activists who were allegedly questioned.

According to the Hebrew network, the activists say investigators focused their questioning on Ra’am, with one describing the interrogation as an attempt to recruit him as an informant against the rival party.

One activist tells Channel 12 that a Shin Bet investigator highlighted their religious differences while encouraging him to cooperate, saying: “You’re a Christian. They’re Islamists. You need to cooperate with us against them. Give me something.”

The activist reportedly responded that he had no connection to Ra’am and did not understand why he was being questioned.

In response to the report, the Shin Bet tells the network it is acting “in accordance with its legal authority” as part of an investigation into suspected “subversion and foreign influence” relating to the election.

“Naturally, it is not possible at this stage to comment on the activities themselves,” the agency adds.

Central Elections Committee Chairman Deputy Supreme Court President Noam Sohlberg said on Thursday that the Shin Bet investigation has not yet yielded evidence of wrongdoing, though it has yet to reach any final conclusions.