Israel asks Russia to prevent interference in elections
The Shin Bet requested recently Russia to help block any hacking attempts of the upcoming general elections in Israel.
General elections in Israel are just 2½ months away. Organizing a fifth election in only 3½ years demands quick organization, but Jerusalem is not neglecting an important aspect — that is preparing for eventual exterior attempts of hacking.
This threat is not new. Ahead of Israel’s April 2019 elections, then-Director of the Shin Bet security agency Nadav Argaman warned that a foreign power would try to influence the voting.
Addressing a January 2019 event hosted by Friends of Tel Aviv University, Argaman said he was “100% [certain] that a foreign state will intervene in the upcoming elections; I know what I’m talking about, I just don’t know in whose favor.” He said that he also did not know the political interests behind the hacking and cyber-meddling plans.
Israeli pundits were certain that Argaman was referring to Russia. Indeed, the Russian Embassy in Tel Aviv denied the report the very next day. The Shin Bet itself issued a statement assuring voters, “Israel and the intelligence community have the tools and capabilities to identify, monitor and thwart foreign influence efforts, should there be any.”
