Jerusalem, 9 December, 2025 (TPS-IL) — State Comptroller Matanyahu Engelman warned on Tuesday that Israel’s preparations for foreign interference in the 2026 elections are inadequate, putting the integrity of the state’s democratic process at risk.
“We found significant deficiencies in Israel’s preparation for foreign influence on the 2026 elections,” Engelman said at Tel Aviv University’s “Cyber Week” conference. “The government and the Elections Committee must come to their senses and improve their preparedness to prevent foreign influence.”
The Comptroller regularly reviews Israel’s preparedness and the effectiveness of government policies.
Engelman stressed the increasing cyber threats posed by Iran, highlighting recent cases in which Israeli citizens were recruited as agents for espionage. “We must recognize that foreign influences may emerge and affect our democratic process,” he warned. “During an election year, the threat intensifies and may jeopardize the democratic process—creating chaos on election day, undermining public confidence in the election system, influencing voters and distorting election results, eroding citizens’ trust in the vote count and results, deepening social division, and more.”
The Comptroller said his office is currently reviewing the government’s handling of foreign influence in the digital sphere. Engelman said early findings from the review already indicate serious shortcomings. “It can already be said that the findings indicate significant deficiencies,” he noted.
“Government bodies and the Central Elections Committee must act now and improve their readiness to prevent foreign influence on the elections expected to be held in Israel next year,” Engelman insisted.
By law, Israel must hold national elections by October 27, 2026. Approximately 4.2 million Israelis cast ballots in the country’s most recent national election in November 2022, a turnout of 70.3% of eligible voters.
In April, an audit by Engelman’s office found that a computer system used by Israel’s Home Front Command for monitoring and managing emergencies was highly vulnerable to cyberattacks. Hackers penetrating the system could potentially spread misinformation and manipulate emergency alerts, his report warned.
In 2023, a team of hackers overseen by Engelman staged a controlled penetration of one major hospital to test its preparedness. The attack revealed deficiencies in the medical center’s security precautions and responses to the “hack.” According to Engelman, the shortcomings could also be applied to other medical centers.
Related Topics
