Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara denied a request by Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) Director David Zini on Tuesday to interrogate Arab party senior lawmakers amid claims of foreign interference in Israel's 26th Knesset elections.
"It is not permissible to interrogate citizens or elected officials without evidence to justify such action," a statement from the Attorney-General's office read, emphasizing that Israel is a "state governed by the rule of law."
The "highly unusual" statement was published due to what the office called "erroneous reports" by Likud and other factions in the coalition bloc accusing Baharav-Miara of attempting to delay the Shin Bet's efforts to investigate the senior lawmakers.
According to Maariv, Zini requested to interrogate the Joint List's Ahmad Tibi, Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas, Balad chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh, and one additional official whose name has not been publicized.
N12 News reported that Central Elections Committee (CEC) chairman Noam Sohlberg had earlier approved Zini's request to use technological and surveillance capabilities in the investigation against the officials.
The Shin Bet's investigation was launched following an initial directive by Sohlberg, citing "severe suspicions... regarding improper influence through foreign funding by entities acting against Israeli interests during the elections."
The A-G's office noted in its statement that the Shin Bet "failed to transfer the collected investigative materials to the special investigative team" over the past few days, "thereby effectively delaying the handling of the matter."
"The law enforcement system is working swiftly and professionally to uncover the truth based on the material currently in its possession, and decisions regarding the investigation will be made accordingly," it concluded.
Abbas: 'Unacceptable' reports an 'attempt to tarnish the Arab public'
Abbas called the "unacceptable" investigation reports an "attempt to tarnish the Arab public," saying that nobody in his party "fears any investigation."
"We are prepared to appear before any law enforcement authority, in accordance with the directives of the Attorney-General and the judicial system, both of which have demonstrated, time and again, that they are bound by the law rather than by other political actors," he said. "I call upon the state authorities to respect the will of the voters, to act with a sense of state responsibility toward all citizens, and to uphold the law and the established order of governance."
Abbas denied allegations on Thursday that he was involved in an alleged election-interference scheme via Qatar, suggesting at the time that he backed an investigation into the matter.
Likud released a response to the A-G's decision later on Tuesday, accusing her of "attempting to conceal the truth from the citizens of Israel."
"She is tying the hands of the Shin Bet and refusing to allow an investigation, contrary to the position taken by CEC Chair Sohlberg, who supports a thorough and comprehensive probe into these serious allegations," the party claimed in a press release. "This is a recurring pattern of behavior"
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's party further claimed that Yashar's Gadi Eisenkot, the Democrats' Yair Golan, and other opposition bloc leaders "are engaging in incitement and sedition against the heads of Israel’s defense establishment."
Likud claimed that the opposition leaders were "emboldened" by the A-G's decision the reject Zini's investigation request.
"This is the conduct of those who have no desire to uncover the truth and who undermine Israeli democracy," it said. "We must not allow this to happen; we must not let them cover up the truth and bury this grave affair."
Golan, Ben-Gvir respond to A-G decision
Golan had responded to the decision earlier on Tuesday, claiming Zini had "turned the Shin Bet into a political tool in the service of Netanyahu's campaign to undermine the election results."
"This is a grave warning sign. The heads of the Change bloc must understand the gravity of the moment and the urgency of forming a change government. We have no time to waste," he wrote in a post on X/Twitter. "The next government will need to thoroughly examine the appointments made by Netanyahu, including Zini's appointment, and ensure that the security institutions serve the State of Israel and its citizens, not political interests."
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also responded on X, demanding that the A-G be removed over the issue, describing Baharav-Miara's decision as "proof" of his demand's validity.
"Slowly but surely, they came to understand that this is a legal advisor who tried to incriminate a minister, tried to incriminate me, and ordered the Shin Bet chief to follow me and act against me," he wrote. "Just for that alone, she should have been sent home."
He continued his post with claims that the A-G is "contaminating the investigation" against the Arab party senior lawmakers, adding that said officials "stole the elections."
"The people of Israel do not accept the theft of the elections!" he exclaimed.
Jonah Davidov contributed to this report.