Israel AG Seeks Evidence for Election Fraud Probe

Israel’s attorney general, Gali Baharav-Miara, asked the Shin Bet and other authorities to provide evidence supporting an investigation into suspected election fraud involving Arab parties, saying no evidentiary basis had been submitted to her supervised team. Likud accused her of obstructing the inquiry, while Arab parties rejected the allegations. In a statement issued Tuesday, Baharav-Miara said authorities should present any material that could justify an investigation. She said the Shin Bet had not passed its findings to a special investigative team operating under her supervision, and maintained that people should not be investigated without evidentiary grounds. The dispute followed reports that Shin Bet chief David Zini had requested that Arab party leaders be questioned as part of an inquiry into suspected electoral fraud. That request was reported by media accounts; the supplied reporting did not include a direct Shin Bet confirmation. Baharav-Miara said anyone who needed to be questioned could be, provided there was evidence to support an investigation. Likud responded by accusing the attorney general of obstructing the inquiry and concealing what the party described...