Shin Bet Probe Will Not Affect Final Election Results, Committee Says

Dean Livne says the classified inquiry is continuing alongside the election committee's work, does not concern a particular sector of society and will not affect the results submitted to the president.

The Shin Bet investigation into suspected foreign interference in the election will not affect the final results submitted to President Isaac Herzog, Central Elections Committee acting director general Dean Livne said.

The inquiry, launched at the direction of committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg, is proceeding alongside the committee's work. Livne also said it does not concern any particular sector of society. His remarks accompanied the release of the completed vote count, with routine checks continuing before the results are formally submitted.

Livne rejects reports while intelligence remains classified

Livne said access to the intelligence behind the investigation is restricted to an extremely small circle because of its high security classification. Those restrictions prevent officials from disclosing further details.

He nevertheless rejected reports published during the day, describing them as "entirely unfounded."

Livne said the investigation's findings would be presented to Sohlberg once the inquiry was completed, allowing its scope and implications to be assessed. Public updates would remain subject to security restrictions.

Why Sohlberg ordered further investigation

Earlier on Thursday, October 29, Livne addressed the basis for the inquiry in a response to MK Vladimir Beliak, who had requested a meeting of the committee's leadership.

Writing with Sohlberg's approval, Livne explained that sensitive intelligence presented to the chairman had raised suspicions requiring deeper examination to establish whether supporting evidence existed. Sohlberg ordered that examination after receiving the information.

Livne also said the election had been conducted lawfully and that, to the committee's knowledge, claims of systematic damage to election integrity had no basis. He cited statements by the police commissioner and Shin Bet director as supporting that assessment.

The committee declined Beliak's request for a leadership meeting on the matter, citing the ongoing investigation and the highly classified material.

Shin Bet says the inquiry rests on its own intelligence

The Shin Bet separately said the information behind its investigation came from intelligence it had collected itself, rather than material supplied by a political party or another political actor.

The agency described the investigation as limited in scope and unfinished. It cautioned that public statements about the substance or nature of the suspicions did not represent its position, and warned against using the inquiry to cast suspicion on an entire community of voters.

Results scheduled for submission on November 4

The committee's remaining work includes reviewing polling station records, examining complaints and correcting recording or transcription errors. The results are scheduled to be submitted to Herzog on Wednesday, November 4, subject to those checks.

The official results website also states that the final results must be published by November 4 and may change before then.