Supreme Court Deputy President and Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg updated members of the Central Elections Committee for the 26th Knesset on Thursday on developments in the investigation into suspicions concerning the recent elections.
In a letter to committee members, Sohlberg clarified that although the new Knesset has already held its first sitting, the investigation being conducted by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) is ongoing, and the intelligence gathered so far has yet to yield concrete evidence.
Sohlberg said he convened the special investigation team this morning, with representatives of the Shin Bet, Israel Police and State Attorney's Office, to receive a direct update on the investigation's progress.
He said he decided to update the Elections Committee members because of the seriousness of the suspicions and the extensive media coverage, most of which, he maintained, was inaccurate.
Sohlberg recalled that shortly after the elections, the Shin Bet director presented him with information that raised suspicions concerning the electoral process, some of them particularly serious.
After receiving the information, he instructed the agency's director to launch a comprehensive investigation to determine whether the suspicions were substantiated or could be disproved.
In his letter, Sohlberg sought to emphasize the Shin Bet's efforts to safeguard election integrity and information security from the outset of the election campaign. He said the agency carried out numerous actions that could not be detailed, and that its assistance to the Elections Committee was of great importance.
Addressing the status of the investigation, Sohlberg clarified that although classified information had been presented to him, it had not yet yielded concrete evidence. He wrote, "Classified information was presented that has so far not yielded concrete evidence, and may never do so; time will tell".
Nevertheless, he stressed that the available information required continued intensive investigation until all avenues had been exhausted. He said there had been no significant change in the evidentiary picture since the Elections Committee issued its statement to the media last week.
Sohlberg also addressed cooperation between the Shin Bet, the police and the Attorney General's Office.
He said that after examining the matter directly with members of the investigation team, his impression was that cooperation between the agencies was proceeding properly. He clarified, "I have not found that the Attorney General's Office rejected investigative requests submitted to it by the Shin Bet".
He also noted that he had been assured that any future request based on suspicion meeting the legal threshold would be examined swiftly and efficiently, to enable the truth to be established in accordance with the law.
Sohlberg said he would continue to monitor the investigation's progress and would act to remove any obstacles or address any gaps he identified.
At the same time, he cautioned against relying on media reports about the matter. He wrote, "If you encounter information about the investigation in the media, take it with a large grain of salt, as there has so far been a considerable gap between media accounts and the actual conduct of the investigation".
In the final part of the letter, Sohlberg sharply criticized leaks from the investigation, which he said were hampering its progress and harming its security-related aspects.
He disclosed that on Tuesday evening, the Elections Committee was informed that a classified opinion concerning the investigation had been completed. Because of its security classification, it was decided to deliver the opinion by courier the following day.
However, Sohlberg said that shortly after that notification, and before the document reached its intended recipients, its main points had already appeared in the media. The opinion itself reached the Elections Committee only on Wednesday afternoon.
Sohlberg clarified that the problem was not the early publication itself, but the damage such leaks could cause to the investigation. He wrote, "My complaint is not about manners and etiquette, but about the repeated harm to the investigation, particularly its security-related aspects, caused by the leaks".
He added, "A leak like this is a serious scourge. I voiced strong criticism of it today. The public deserves a thorough investigation pursued to its conclusion".
Sohlberg concluded that he would continue to oversee the investigation's progress while maintaining a balance between the need to fully examine the suspicions and the duty to protect national security and the integrity of investigative procedures.