Israel internal security agency finds no evidence of foreign election interference

Israel's internal security service, the Shin Bet, has found no evidence of foreign interference in last month's election. Reports from Al Jazeera, The Times of Israel, and The New Arab all state that the investigation produced no proof of external meddling in the vote. The allegations had generated a political storm following historic gains made by Palestinian-Israeli parties. [1][4][5]

The probe into foreign involvement began after Israel's Central Elections Committee asked the agency to look into allegations of foreign funding and bribery linked to Qatar, as FTMQ News reported earlier. The Times of Israel reported that only Shin Bet chief Zini maintains faith in the probe. Israel National News noted that the Shin Bet chief had sought to question five senior Arab politicians regarding suspected foreign funding. Additionally, Haaretz reported that Shin Bet questioning of an Arab journalist focused primarily on their political views. [2][3][4][7]

The Israel Security Agency, commonly known by the acronyms Shabak or Shin Bet, is the internal security and counterintelligence service of Israel. Headquartered in northwest Tel Aviv, north of Yarkon Park, it operates as one of the three main branches of the Israeli Intelligence Community alongside Aman and Mossad. [6]

The legislative elections took place on October 27, 2026, to select 120 members for the 26th Knesset, as FTMQ News reported earlier. Former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar previously filed a defamation lawsuit against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu weeks ahead of the vote. [7][8]