Attorney General Criticizes Security Chief for Interrogating Arab Leaders Without Evidence

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara issued a public rebuke of Shin Bet chief David Zini on Tuesday, accusing the security chief of interrogating elected officials without sufficient evidence. The dispute centers on a plan to question four Arab politicians regarding alleged foreign election interference. According to reports from i24News, the Shin Bet has provided prosecutors with material only for one of the four targets, leaving the legal basis for the other three interrogations unclear.

The three politicians named in the report are Mansour Abbas, head of the Ra'am party; Ahmad Tibi, leader of the Ta'al faction; and Sami Abu Shehadeh, chief of the Balad faction. Abu Shehadeh was disqualified from running in last week's election. The fourth individual is a senior Joint List lawmaker whose name is barred from publication. Reports indicate there is strong agreement that compelling evidence exists for this unnamed legislator, but the Shin Bet has not shared that material with the police, even though the two agencies agreed two days prior to form a joint investigative team.

Baharav-Miara stated that her office asked to review the evidence before approving the interrogations. She emphasized that in a rule-of-law state, citizens and elected officials cannot be questioned without justifying proof. Her office confirmed that the Shin Bet failed to transfer evidence to the joint team for two days, which hindered the probe. She added that anyone with an evidentiary basis will be interrogated, but those without one will not.

The Joint List accused Zini of acting as a political arm for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The party argued that Netanyahu is attempting to delegitimize the Arab public, which voted in large numbers against his government. Abbas said his party was willing to answer any summons but denounced the move as an attempt to tarnish the Arab public. He urged authorities to honor the voters' decision.

Netanyahu's Likud party countered by accusing the attorney general of blocking the interrogations. The party claimed Baharav-Miara was working to cover up the investigation into alleged election contamination. Likud has sought to delay the publication of final election results due to the ongoing probes. The party described the situation as an example of selective enforcement.

Election officials have affirmed that the results, which saw Netanyahu's coalition lose its majority, remain valid. They stated that the investigations into a vote-buying scheme linked to Ra'am and a separate foreign interference probe, reportedly involving Qatar, are limited in scope. On Sunday, Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg reiterated that the election was conducted properly. He appeared in a video message alongside Zini, CEC acting director general Dean Livne, and Baharav-Miara to show unity.

Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot warned Zini against politicizing the agency on Tuesday. Eisenkot wrote that authorities must serve the country rather than the king, a reference to Netanyahu. He described the move as a desperate attempt by Likud to carry out a pogrom on democracy and the rule of law.

Democrats party chairman Yair Golan also criticized Zini, calling the reports a grave warning sign. Golan urged opposition leaders to move quickly to form a government. He stated that the next administration must review Netanyahu's appointments, including Zini's, to ensure security agencies serve the state rather than political interests.