Bereaved families' forum seeks Shin Bet probe into alleged Ra'am voter-tracking app

Jerusalem Post/Israel Election 2026The application, called Aswatcom, allegedly enabled activists to track voter participation in real time at individual polling stations and manage the party's election-day operations.Follow us on GoogleRa'am party head MK Mansour Abbas leads a faction meeting, at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on June 29, 2026.(photo credit: CHAIM GOLDBERG/FLASH90)NOVEMBER 7, 2026 03:11The Choosing Life Forum, which represents bereaved families and victims of terrorism, filed a complaint with Shin Bet chief David Zini demanding an investigation into an application it alleged was used by senior Ra'am activists to monitor voter turnout during the 2026 election.The application, called Aswatcom, allegedly enabled activists to track voter participation in real time at individual polling stations and manage the party's election-day operations, the forum said in its complaint.According to the forum, the application was created on September 15, about six weeks before the October 27 election, and recorded more than 500 downloads on Google Play.Palestinian Authority allegedly involved in creating the systemThe forum also claimed that developers based in Ramallah with ties to the Palestinian Authority were involved in creating the system, raising concerns that they may have accessed information about Israeli voters.The forum demanded that Zini open a "criminal investigation; seize and preserve the app's servers, databases, and activity logs; investigate the entities that commissioned, funded, and developed it; and trace the activists who used it on Election Day."Shin Bet Director David Zini. (credit: Dor Pazuelo/Flash90)The forum also demanded a review into whether Ra'am activists operated the system from within the polling stations, which party officials were involved in its operation, and where the gathered information was transferred."We will not allow the integrity of the elections to be compromised or swept under the rug," the forum said."The Israeli public is entitled to know that its elections are conducted lawfully, without prohibited surveillance systems, and without the improper involvement of foreign entities," the statement concluded.Follow us on Google