Ministers and MKs Seek Inquiry Into Alleged Election Bribery Linked to Ra’am

MK Yitzhak Kroizer and a group of ministers and lawmakers asked Israel’s election authorities and Shin Bet on Wednesday to investigate alleged election bribery intended to benefit Ra’am. The letter was addressed to Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg and Shin Bet director David Zini. It requested urgent investigative steps and challenged votes cast for the party. The signatories alleged that three Negev residents, including a senior figure from Aid 48, had been found on election day with envelopes containing tens of thousands of shekels. They also cited observers’ allegations about fuel cards and gift cards distributed in connection with voting. These accounts were presented as grounds for an inquiry, rather than established findings of wrongdoing. The letter sought questioning of relevant party representatives and examination of Aid 48’s connections. It also asked authorities to consider invalidating votes cast for Ra’am. The signatories called for “swift investigative action and a report to the undersigned within 24 hours.” That was their requested response period, rather than an official investigative timetable. Ministers Amihai Eliyahu and Amichai Chikli and MK Simcha Rothman were among those backing the approach. The request itself did not establish that bribery occurred or that election results had been manipulated; the letter’s request to invalidate votes was not an official ruling.