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Photo: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

Judge Sohlberg Furious Over Stalled Ballot Terror Probe

Asaf Nissan

By: Mati Tuchfeld

Editor: Asaf Nissan

14:26

Two weeks after the 2026 ballot terror affair broke, the Shin Bet, Police, and State Attorney's Office haven't held a single joint meeting on the evidence. Furious at the inaction, Central Elections Committee Chair Justice Noam Sohlberg canceled a planned meeting with agency heads Thursday and summoned operational investigators directly—vowing he will not allow a cover-up.


Two full weeks after the ballot terror and foreign interference affair was first exposed, Israel’s investigative agencies have still not held a single joint meeting to examine the suspicions and evidence gathered so far, prompting an urgent intervention on Thursday by Central Elections Committee Chairman Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg.

Queues at the ballot boxes in Arab society during the 2026 elections | Photo: Used under Section 27A, enhanced with AI

Operational officials within the Shin Bet internal security agency, the State Attorney’s Office, and the Israel Police have yet to convene together to coordinate on the high-stakes investigation, leaving the file fragmented across separate bureaucracies. Justice Sohlberg, who had scheduled a formal meeting in his chambers on Thursday with the head of the Shin Bet, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, and the commander of the Police Investigations and Intelligence Division, discovered ahead of the session that it would mark the very first time the involved bodies were meeting on the case—and that none of the senior officials would have substantive updates to present.

In response, Sohlberg abruptly canceled the meeting with the agency heads and instead summoned working-level investigators and legal professionals from the Shin Bet, the State Attorney’s Office, and the police to appear before him. Thursday’s session is set to serve as the first joint working discussion examining the suspicions and evidence collected in the affair, with a follow-up meeting for the heads of the organizations to be scheduled only afterward.

Arab voters flocking to the polls, archive | Photo: Al-Jarmaq

According to sources familiar with the matter, Sohlberg was furious upon learning that the investigative bodies had failed to meet even once over the past two weeks. The sources indicated that the justice intends to issue direct operational directives to the investigation if Thursday’s findings suggest that participating agencies are dragging their feet or attempting to cover up the affair. Insiders emphasized that Sohlberg refuses to grant leniency to any individual or institution within the law enforcement system and will not help whitewash the scandal.

His forceful posture aligns directly with the explicit commitment he gave to right-wing representatives on the Central Elections Committee, who agreed to abstain during the vote certifying the 2026 election results in exchange for Sohlberg’s pledge to see the investigation through to its conclusion. Sources added that Sohlberg plans to actively intervene in Thursday’s session with operational staff before summoning the agency chiefs themselves.

Illustration | Photo: Flash90

Crucially, officials noted that the Chairman of the Central Elections Committee still retains the statutory authority to challenge the certified election results should he conclude that the investigative findings and underlying suspicions justify doing so.