Israel's Shin Bet arrests activist amid incitement over Palestinian electoral gains - Middle East Eye

Israeli security forces arrested prominent Palestinian political activist and journalist Abd Abu Shahadeh on Tuesday, amid incitement against Palestinian citizens of Israel following their historic electoral gains in last week’s elections.

Abu Shahadeh, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, was taken from his home in Jaffa around midnight and transferred to an undisclosed location, according to news outlet Arab48.

Around 15 security personnel, including masked officers, stormed the house, arresting Abu Shahadeh in front of his two children. They also seized electronic devices and several books.

Police confirmed that the case was under investigation by the Tel Aviv Central Unit and Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic intelligence agency. A court subsequently issued a publication ban, citing a “security-related investigation”.

Abd Abu Shahadeh heads the elected Islamic Council in Jaffa and is a member of the editorial board of the Arab 48 news website. He is also a regular contributor to Middle East Eye’s opinion section.

The arrest comes amid a wave of incitement against Palestinian citizens of Israel following their record voter turnout and electoral gains in last week’s elections.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party claimed the elections had been “stolen” by Palestinian parties, citing allegations of foreign interference.

Opposition figures have accused Likud of attempting to undermine the election results by exaggerating the allegations.

Palestinian-led parties denied the accusations.

Israel’s Central Elections Committee certified the election results on Wednesday, saying it had found no evidence of irregularities that undermined the integrity of the election or affected the outcome.

On Tuesday, Shin Bet chief David Zini, an ally of Netanyahu, was seeking to question the leaders of Palestinian-led parties under caution.

Those targeted included United Arab List leader Mahmoud Abbas, Ta’al leader Ahmed Tibi and Balad leader Sami Abu Shehadeh.

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara blocked the request to interrogate the Palestinian lawmakers, publicly stating that citizens and elected officials could not be questioned without proper evidentiary grounds.

Sami Abu Shehadeh said on Wednesday that Abd Abu Shahadeh’s arrest formed part of an effort by Netanyahu and Zini to “steal the elections”.

“Abd’s arrest is part of a broader campaign of arrests, interrogations and threats against political activists, designed to undermine the election results through the weaponization of the police and the Shin Bet,” the politician said.

“None of this will change one simple fact: Netanyahu lost the election, thanks to Arab citizens who turned out in massive numbers and kicked him out.”

He described the “abduction” as a serious crime but said it would not deter Palestinian citizens.

“We will not be intimidated, and we will not let them steal the election,” he added.

The Shin Bet claimed on Wednesday that it had gathered intelligence pointing to widespread foreign funding intended to influence the election results. 

However, security sources told Haaretz they were unfamiliar with the Shin Bet’s claims of operations involving “thousands of people” and “huge sums” in the investigation.

One source pointed to Zini’s declaration on election day that the vote was secure.

“If huge sums were flowing in, it should have been thwarted,” the source said.

The allegations emerged after Palestinian-led parties won a record 19 seats in the 120-member Knesset, dealing a major blow to Netanyahu’s coalition.

The prime minister’s bloc won 53 seats, down from 64 in the 2022 elections, leaving him unable to form a majority government with the same parties. The opposition bloc also fell short of the numbers needed to secure a majority, resulting in political deadlock.

Netanyahu’s allies have since accused Palestinian citizens of stealing the election through foreign funding.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called on Zini to arrest all Palestinian party leaders and interrogate them “in Shin Bet basement cells”.

“The election was stolen here in the State of Israel,” Ben-Gvir said.