Lieberman says he will call Shin Bet chief and police commissioner to Knesset panel

Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the Yisrael Beytenu party, said he plans to bring the head of the Shin Bet security service and the national police commissioner before the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee to question them about alleged foreign interference in Israel's elections, Ynet reported. According to Ynet, Lieberman is set to be appointed chair of that committee, which would give him control over its agenda.

Lieberman tied the move to what he called an "unreasonable gap" between the two officials. That phrase appears in the version of his remarks posted by political commentator Amit Segal on Telegram, which was carried by N12 and News.co.il. Ynet added that Lieberman said the gap needs to be resolved. None of the reports explain what the gap consists of.

Who is being summoned

The Shin Bet, also known as the Israel Security Agency, is Israel's domestic security and counterintelligence service. Its everyday name comes from the Hebrew initials of Sherut HaBitachon HaKlali, the General Security Service. Its director reports directly to the prime minister, and the agency rarely speaks in public about its work.

The police commissioner is the most senior officer in the Israel Police. Hebrew reports refer to the post by its acronym, Mafkal. The force answers to the minister responsible for national security.

The two bodies have separate responsibilities. The Shin Bet deals with threats to state security, including activity by foreign actors. The police investigate criminal offences. A question touching on outside influence in an election can fall between those two mandates. According to Lieberman's account, the officials' positions on the matter differ, though he did not say how.

The committee Lieberman is expected to lead

The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, known in Hebrew as Vaadat Hutz uBitachon, is generally seen as one of the Knesset's most senior committees. It oversees the military, the intelligence agencies and foreign policy. Much of its work takes place behind closed doors, in subcommittees whose members hold security clearances. Knesset committees can call senior officials to give evidence, and the chair largely decides which issues come up and when.

Ynet described Lieberman as due to take up the chairmanship, not as already holding it. The reports do not say when the appointment is expected to be formalised.

Who Lieberman is

Lieberman founded Yisrael Beytenu, a right-wing secular party, and has served in several senior cabinet posts over the years, including defence minister and foreign minister. He has a long record of public clashes with other political leaders and often uses parliamentary and media platforms to press security issues. Running a committee that oversees the security services would give him a formal way to question their leaders.

How the reports compare

All five reports appeared within a short window and agree on the core of the story. Lieberman intends to have the Shin Bet chief and the police commissioner appear before the committee, and the subject is alleged foreign interference in the elections. Several of the reports appear to trace back to a single origin: N12's item credits Amit Segal, and the News.co.il text closely follows Segal's.

There are small differences in how his words were rendered. A Ynet news alert quoted Lieberman in the first person, saying he would invite the two officials and ask them about the interference. The Segal, N12 and News.co.il versions say the officials will be summoned. Ynet's fuller item referred more broadly to the elections affair and to a discussion in the Knesset. It is not clear whether Lieberman intends a formal summons or an invitation, and the reports leave that distinction unresolved.

What the reports do not say

• What the interference is alleged to involve, or which foreign party is said to be behind it.
• What the "unreasonable gap" between the Shin Bet chief and the police commissioner refers to, and how Lieberman knows of it.
• Whether the Shin Bet, the Israel Police or the government has responded to his remarks.
• When a session would take place and whether it would be open to the public or held behind closed doors.
• When Lieberman's appointment as committee chair will become official.