Channel 14 has learned: A senior lawmaker from an Arab party is suspected of receiving tens of thousands of shekels from the ‘Palestinian’ Authority over an extended period, according to intelligence materials obtained by Israel’s security establishment. The materials collected in the case are currently with investigative and security officials. They are being examined discreetly and with great sensitivity given the severity of the allegations. Among other things, investigators are examining why the lawmaker received the monthly payments and what he allegedly provided in exchange for the funds transferred to him.
The current suspicion joins a series of serious scandals linked in the past to Arab lawmakers. Former Balad chairman Azmi Bishara was suspected of passing information to Hezbollah during the Second Lebanon War and left Israel before being brought to trial. Additionally, former lawmaker Basel Ghattas was convicted of smuggling phones and documents to security prisoners and served two years in prison. Furthermore, Said Naffaa was convicted of traveling to an enemy state and making contact with a foreign agent, and was sentenced to a year in prison. In another case, police recommended indicting senior Balad officials on suspicion of fraud and forgery offenses related to reports on millions of shekels in the party’s coffers.