Shin Bet probes Joint List lawmaker over alleged Qatari cash

The Shin Bet, Israel's domestic security agency, has opened an investigation into a current member of the Joint List party in the Knesset. The agency suspects the lawmaker received thousands of shekels from Qatar and that the party utilized these funds during the recent election campaign.

The probe launched after i24NEWS broke the story on Sunday. As of Sunday afternoon, the specific Joint List member under suspicion had not been publicly identified. Investigators are currently weighing several theories about the money's application, ranging from standard campaign financing to direct election bribery. Officials noted that they do not yet possess concrete evidence detailing exactly how the funds were spent, nor have they determined the specific piece of evidence linking the cash to Qatar.

This inquiry forms part of a wider Shin Bet review into whether foreign powers, potentially including Qatar and Turkey, moved money into Israel to sway votes within Arab communities. Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg requested that this broader investigation begin on Thursday. In a related development, N12 News reported that the security agency held intelligence regarding potentially illegal money transfers prior to the vote but did not share this information with the Central Elections Committee or Sohlberg.

Reactions from political figures have been sharp. Itamar Ben-Gvir, chairman of the Otzma Yehudit party and National Security Minister, labeled the allegations as "extremely grave." He stated that if foreign funds were used for bribery to skew results, it would represent a "shocking corruption scandal" and a severe attack on Israeli democracy. Ben-Gvir called for the imprisonment of any Knesset member proven to be involved and urged for new elections if the scheme is confirmed.

Qatar has pushed back against the narrative that it interfered in the political process. Last week, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari posted on X/Twitter that Qatar "categorically denies" allegations of interference or funding intended to influence outcomes. He accused "certain Israeli politicians and their contacts in the media" of trying to pull Qatar into domestic disputes following the elections.

Meanwhile, police have dismissed a broader claim by the Likud party that the election was stolen. In a statement issued on Thursday morning, police said they observed relatively few election-integrity incidents on Election Day. They added that they had no investigative or intelligence support for the allegations presented to them.

The investigation remains active as officials gather more data on the flow of funds.