President Isaac Herzog, in a statement on Tisha B'Av eve, revealed that two weeks ago he hosted Shin Bet chief David Zini and Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Solberg, who presented various threats to election integrity. He called on leaders to act responsibly, saying elections are not a civil war and urging not to wait for disaster.
President Isaac Herzog, in his Tisha B'Av eve statement at 20:30 Jerusalem, explicitly quoted his own warning: "Elections are not a civil war — we must not wait for disaster." This latest remark follows his Tisha B'Av address at 20:27, in which he warned of election threats and urged national unity, as The Zioneer reported. The new statement adds a direct call to political leaders not to allow polarization to escalate into catastrophe.
The Zioneer first reported at 20:21 that Herzog revealed he had hosted Shin Bet Chief David Zini and Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Solberg two weeks ago, during which the two presented threats to election integrity — initially based on a Channel 12 report. Minutes later, at 20:21 again, The Zioneer updated that Herzog described a "united front" against threats from home and abroad and called on law enforcement to act, citing Amichai Stein of i24NEWS. A further update at the same time specified that Herzog said the officials presented him with "various threats" to the purity of the elections. The evolution of sourcing — from a single news outlet to a second, then to the President's own wording — reflects a rapid consolidation of the story.
The backdrop includes a July 9 meeting between Herzog, Zini, and Solberg, which The Zioneer reported on July 9 at 13:26 Jerusalem, during which the President warned against foreign digital influence and stressed that elections are not a civil war. This week's Tisha B'Av address, at 20:27, drew on the historical lesson of internal hatred. The Zioneer has also reported, on June 30, that Herzog previously stated "elections are not a civil war" in a different context.
What remains unverified is the specific nature of the threats presented. Herzog's office has not disclosed the details of what Zini and Solberg outlined, nor has the Shin Bet or the Central Elections Committee commented publicly on the content of the meeting.
4 developments
- DevelopingPresident Herzog meets Shin Bet chief, election head; warns elections are not a civil war
- DevelopingIn Tisha B'Av address, President Herzog warns of election threats, calls for national unity
- StrongPresident Herzog: Elections are not a civil war — opposing the government is not becoming an enemy
- DevelopingPresident Herzog: Elections in three months, 'just not a civil war'
Source and signal
- Internal intake