Israel's Attorney General Demands Evidence From Likud on Election Fraud Claims

Israel's Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has demanded the Shin Bet security service provide evidence of alleged election fraud before questioning political figures, clashing with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party. The dispute follows the October 27 elections, where no bloc secured a majority. The Shin Bet seeks to interrogate four politicians from Arab parties over suspected foreign funding of election activities, including Mansour Abbas, Ahmad Tibi, and Sami Abu Shehadeh, but has presented sufficient evidence for only one unnamed individual. Baharav-Miara insists no interrogations can proceed without proper justification, while Likud accuses her of obstructing the investigation. Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of attacking democracy, though Central Elections Committee head Noam Sohlberg confirmed the elections were conducted properly. Arab parties won 19 seats, giving them significant influence in coalition negotiations.