Shin Bet Director David Zini wants to dig deeper into suspected foreign funding in Israel's October 27 election, and he is meeting resistance from inside his own agency and from its lawyers, according to reports in The Jerusalem Post and JNS.
Kan News reported Sunday that Zini clashed with three senior Shin Bet officials over the need to expand the tools used in the case, The Jerusalem Post reports. The three, including the head of a department involved in the investigation, argued that the suspicions were limited in scope and did not require those tools. A senior Shin Bet official told Kan that the measures Zini proposed would need special legal authorization, which may be hard to obtain. The Shin Bet told the Post that its internal discourse allows for a "wide range of different and diverse opinions in discussions," and that it does not comment on closed meetings.
The case centers on money received by a Knesset member from the Joint List, which the party allegedly used during the elections, the Post reports. Investigators have yet to establish where the money came from, or whether it paid for illegal election activity. JNS reports that the suspicion so far is that Qatar and Turkey channeled tens of millions of shekels to bring out the Arab vote. Both countries deny any involvement.
Zini also has a complaint about the lawyers. Channel 14 reported that during a six-hour meeting on Sunday, Zini told Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg that the Shin Bet's legal adviser, working closely with Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, was blocking his investigation, JNS reports. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a link to the report and wrote: "Shin Bet chief Zini complained to Sohlberg: Shin Bet's legal adviser is tying my hands from investigating."
Sohlberg says the probe goes on, but the vote stands. In a statement provided to JNS, he said "serious suspicions" had been raised about foreign funding meant to influence the elections. He added: "Our position is that even if the suspicions are substantiated, this would not undermine the integrity of the electoral process or the election results as a whole." The official results go to President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday, when consultations on forming the next government begin, the Post reports.
What it means: in Sohlberg's view, the results as a whole stand even if the suspicions are proven. The fight now is over how far the Shin Bet may dig into who paid for what, and who gets to say yes.
Sohlberg's statement described the inquiry as covert, relying on classified intelligence and run by a joint team from the Shin Bet, police and prosecution under his supervision, The Jerusalem Post reports. He said the suspicions may involve a security dimension. Zini appeared in the video statement alongside Sohlberg, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and acting Central Elections Committee director-general Dean Livne. In the statement provided to JNS, Sohlberg said: "This coming Wednesday, the official results will be published and submitted to the President of Israel, as they stand." A law enforcement source involved in the case told Kan that uncertainty over where the money came from and how serious the suspected offenses are has created legal obstacles to approving certain investigative measures without more evidence, the Post reports.
The legal adviser Zini complained about has not been identified, for security reasons. Channel 14's political correspondent Moti Kastel reported that the adviser is a holdover from the Ronen Bar era and has tried to block other sensitive investigations, according to JNS. Netanyahu fired Bar, the former Shin Bet chief, in March 2025, citing a growing lack of confidence in his ability to lead the agency. Israel's right-wing parties have also protested the way the investigation is being handled, JNS reports.
