Israel's Mossad intelligence agency is set to join an investigation into allegations that Qatar attempted to influence the country's parliamentary election through the use of tens of millions of shekels, after the Shin Bet domestic security agency requested its assistance.
The Mossad will help examine aspects of the case that fall within its jurisdiction, particularly whether foreign governments were involved in the suspected influence operations. The Shin Bet had obtained intelligence about the possibility of illegal money transfers even before the election, as part of its responsibility for identifying and preventing threats to national security.
The investigation centers on suspected efforts to influence voters rather than allegations of ballot tampering or irregularities in vote counting. Qatar and Turkey, the two countries at the center of the inquiry, have both denied any involvement.
Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari rejected the accusations Thursday, saying: "We reject the allegations made by certain Israeli politicians and their contacts in the media, who have launched yet another disinformation campaign aimed at dragging Qatar into Israel's political disputes following this week's elections.
"They accuse us of buying Netanyahu, the left, and now the Arab vote. If all these accusations were to be believed, Qatar would apparently own all of Israel."
Turkey also rejected any suggestion that it had interfered in the Israeli election. "The allegations circulating in certain media outlets and on social media are completely baseless," Ankara said. "These accusations are part of a deliberate and blatant disinformation campaign aimed at manipulating the public."
Shin Bet chief David Zini, Qatari Prime Minister Al Thani and Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg
(Photo: Central Elections Committee, Nathan Howard/Pool Photo via AP, Roi Yadovsky)
The controversy began with a letter sent by Central Elections Committee chairman Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg to Shin Bet director David Zini, calling for an investigation into suspected foreign interference. "The integrity of elections is at the heart of democracy," Sohlberg wrote.
Although he emphasized that he could not personally assess the substance of the allegations, the judge said the possibility of foreign involvement made a thorough investigation essential.
"Given that these suspicions concern foreign actors, there is an obligation to investigate them thoroughly in order to safeguard the integrity of Knesset elections and prevent illegal activity intended to undermine the democratic system and engage in subversion," he wrote.
The letter prompted Yesh Atid lawmaker Vladimir Beliak to demand that the presidium of the Central Elections Committee be convened and presented with the evidence underlying Sohlberg's decision to instruct the Shin Bet to investigate.
Dean Livne, the committee's acting director general, responded on Sohlberg's behalf, emphasizing that the allegations under investigation did not mean the election itself had been compromised.
"The Knesset elections were conducted lawfully. The integrity of voting at polling stations was rigorously safeguarded, and to the best of our knowledge, there is no basis for claims of systematic violations of election integrity," Livne said.
He added that statements made by the Israel Police commissioner and the Shin Bet director on Election Day and afterward reinforced that assessment.