Police said to see little evidence to back Shin Bet probe into foreign election interference

Israeli police reportedly believe there is little evidence to support an investigation by the Shin Bet security agency into alleged foreign interference in last month’s election, and doubt that Ayman Odeh, a former leader of the Arab-led Joint List, will be questioned.

According to a report on Channel 12, a preliminary police assessment found no security offenses and few, if any, criminal offenses. Any potential criminal violations were described as minor, and possible party-financing violations would fall under the state comptroller’s purview, rather than being subject to a criminal or security investigation.

The report, if true, would deal the latest blow to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claims that the election was “stolen,” a contention based in large part on the foreign interference probe. Election officials have already said the vote was conducted properly, and law enforcement has said the probes into election misconduct are limited in scope.

An assessment is being prepared for Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who will decide whether to continue the investigation, narrow its scope or close it, according to the report. Police officials reportedly expect that, in the absence of new evidence, the Arab politicians who were implicated in the probe, and people in their circles, will not be summoned for questioning. They reportedly said the case could collapse or be substantially narrowed.

In a statement on Sunday, Baharav-Miara said she had not seen anything in the investigations of possible election fraud that would “even remotely” influence the outcome of last month’s vote.

Shin Bet chief David Zini had asked Baharav-Miara to authorize security questioning of four Arab lawmakers. Odeh was the only lawmaker for whom intelligence material was presented in support of the request.

A senior official told the network, though, that even in Odeh’s case, there is “serious doubt” that he will be questioned. The official described the file as thin and said it might, at most, develop into a minor criminal case.

Odeh was identified last week as the senior Arab lawmaker suspected of receiving hundreds of thousands of shekels in cash from a foreign source, according to Hebrew media reports.

Separately, i24 News reported on Sunday that Zini had also sought to question current Joint List chief Yousef Jabareen, bringing the number of Arab political leaders he wanted questioned to five.