Information underlying the investigation into suspected foreign interference in Israel’s election has not yet developed into actual evidence and may never do so, Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg wrote in a sharply worded letter to committee members on Thursday. Nevertheless, he said, the information requires a thorough investigation.
Sohlberg also praised the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and its director, David Zini, and said he had found no instance in which the government’s legal advisers had refused an investigative request submitted by the agency.
His letter addressed several points at the center of competing reports about the inquiry since it became public after the October 27 election. He did not identify particular reports, but said most media coverage was inaccurate, “to put it mildly.”
“The investigation is ongoing. Classified information has been presented that has not yet developed into actual evidence, and may not; time will tell,” Sohlberg wrote. “Nevertheless, this information requires continued intensive investigation until it has been fully pursued.”
The evidentiary position, he added, was similar to that presented before last week’s public statement.
Sohlberg met with investigation heads, affirms requests will be examined
Sohlberg, the Supreme Court’s deputy president, said he had met the investigation’s managers on Thursday morning, including representatives of the Shin Bet, police and State Attorney’s Office, to hear firsthand how it was proceeding.
“I asked and examined the matter with the members of the special investigation team - good, levelheaded professionals - and did not find that the government’s legal advisers had refused investigative requests submitted by the Shin Bet,” he wrote.
He said he had received assurances that any request grounded in the suspicion required by law would be examined promptly and efficiently, with a view to approving steps that would establish the truth in accordance with the law. He would act to remove any gaps or obstacles he identified.
Sohlberg also thanked Zini and the agency for their work protecting the election, including information security operations he said could not be detailed publicly.
“The Shin Bet deserves gratitude and the public’s trust,” he wrote.