Three Charged in $129 Million AI CEO Impersonation Fraud Scheme

Good Morning, Israel · Saturday, November 7, 2026 · 7:30

Good Morning, Israel · Episode 41

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1. Three Charged in $129 Million AI CEO Impersonation Fraud Scheme
2. Bedouin Woman Found Dead, Brother Dies in Crash Amidst Murder Probe
3. Lieberman Willing to Compromise on Draft Law to Form Government
4. App Allegedly Tracked Voters for Ra'am Party, Complaint Filed
5. Netanyahu: US Aid Shift to Partnership Reflects Strong Ties
6. Lieberman Drops Veto on Haredi Parties, Eyes Rotation Government with Eisenkot

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Maya

Avigdor Lieberman has dropped his veto on sitting with Israel's ultra-Orthodox parties.

Daniel

And that could reshape the coalition math one day before Gadi Eisenkot gets his shot at forming a government.

Maya

This is Good Morning, Israel from baba News. It's Saturday, November seventh. I'm Maya.

Daniel

And I'm Daniel.

Maya

Yesterday we told you President Isaac Herzog hands Eisenkot the mandate on Sunday. Now Lieberman moves. Why is this a big deal?

Daniel

Lieberman heads Yisrael Beytenu, a secular right-wing party. For years he's refused to cooperate with the ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, parties. That's United Torah Judaism and Shas.

Maya

And the fight has always been about the army.

Daniel

Exactly. Most Haredi men don't serve in the I D F, and Lieberman has made drafting them his signature issue. Now he says he's willing to compromise on the draft law to help form a government.

Maya

Compromise on his own signature issue. Starting from where?

Daniel

Talks are expected to center on his own draft law proposal from twenty eighteen. So it's a compromise, but on his home turf.

Maya

Clever. And his red lines?

Daniel

Two. He won't support a minority government that depends on Arab parties. And he wants a full coalition of sixty-one seats, a majority in the Knesset, Israel's parliament.

Maya

Which ties back to Friday, when the Joint List, an alliance of Arab parties, backed Eisenkot.

Daniel

Right. Lieberman's priorities are removing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and avoiding new elections. But he warns a minority government could actually pave the way for Netanyahu's comeback.

Maya

Because it'd be fragile.

Daniel

That's his concern. And he's talking openly about who comes next.

Maya

There's also talk of a rotation. Explain that one.

Daniel

In Israel, two leaders can split a term, each serving part of it as Prime Minister. The opposition camp, the so-called Change Bloc, is reportedly considering a rotation between Eisenkot and Lieberman.

Maya

And Lieberman says?

Daniel

He denies there have been any discussions of a rotation.

Maya

Which is exactly what you'd say either way.

Daniel

Fair. There's also an alternative being explored, a minority government led by Eisenkot. But Lieberman has already voiced his concerns about that.

Maya

So Sunday, Eisenkot gets the mandate, and Lieberman has just handed him a possible path.

Daniel

A path that runs through the Haredi parties. Whether they'll accept a draft compromise is the real question.

Maya

Staying with politics, the election itself. We've been following the Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service, and allegations of foreign interference. There's a new complaint.

Daniel

A group called the Choosing Life forum, which represents bereaved families and terror victims, filed a complaint with the Shin Bet. It's about Raam, the United Arab List led by Mansour Abbas.

Maya

What's the allegation?

Daniel

The forum claims Raam used an app called Aswatcom to track voters and manage election operations. According to the complaint, it was downloaded more than five hundred times and gave real-time data from polling stations.

Maya

Real-time polling data. And the bigger worry?

Daniel

The forum alleges people affiliated with the Palestinian Authority may have been involved in developing it. It wants a criminal investigation into where the app came from, how it was used, and what happened to the data.

Maya

Who else got the complaint?

Daniel

Copies went to the Police Commissioner and the chairman of the Central Elections Committee. For now, these are allegations, and no investigation has been announced.

Maya

To Washington, and the aid story we covered on Wednesday. Trump said he'd end U S military aid, and Israel's Finance Ministry and the I D F said they hadn't been told.

Daniel

Now Netanyahu has framed it. He says the aid will become a partnership instead, and that the shift reflects Israel's strong economy and a robust relationship with Washington.

Maya

And the timing?

Daniel

Trump says the aid will end by the end of the year, citing Israel's prosperity and Netanyahu's agreement. That's earlier than the current package, which was meant to run through twenty twenty-eight.

Maya

So, from aid recipient to partner.

Daniel

That's the message. And it's expected to go down well with American voters.

Maya

Speaking of money, the shekel had a rough Friday.

Daniel

The dollar rose above three point two two shekels, its highest level since December twenty twenty-five.

Maya

Why?

Daniel

A sharp drop on Wall Street, plus uncertainty in Israel, including the coalition question and geopolitical worries.

Maya

So that holiday in New York just got pricier.

Daniel

Anything priced in dollars does. Exporters may benefit, though, since their dollar earnings are worth more in shekels.

Maya

Now a fraud case on an enormous scale. One hundred and twenty-nine million dollars.

Daniel

Three people have been charged in the United States. Two are Israeli nationals, Sharon Hazan and Guy Sheetrit. The third is Jacob Soall, a Spanish-British national.

Maya

And the method?

Daniel

According to the charges, they used artificial intelligence to impersonate company C E Os. Employees were allegedly tricked into transferring money to cryptocurrency accounts.

Maya

So the boss calls, sounds exactly like the boss... and isn't.

Daniel

That's the scheme as prosecutors describe it. The three were arrested in Spain and the U K, and extradition to the U S is pending. They face up to twenty years in prison per count.

Maya

Now a painful story from the Negev, Israel's southern desert region.

Daniel

A young Bedouin woman, Rodina Abu Rabia, was found dead in her family home, with signs of injury. Police opened an investigation.

Maya

Who's been arrested?

Daniel

Her father, mother and a brother were arrested on suspicion of involvement, then released to house arrest. Police say the father is considered a witness, with no reasonable suspicion of murder.

Maya

And there's more.

Daniel

Shortly after the family's arrest, another brother, Amir, was killed in a car crash. The investigation into Rodina's death is ongoing.

Maya

A quick security item from near Jerusalem.

Daniel

Border Police stopped a vehicle at the Zaayem crossing on Thursday and arrested seven Palestinians who were in Israel without permits.

Maya

Anything unusual?

Daniel

The driver was disguised as a Haredi Jew to avoid detection. The vehicle had illegal modifications and was towed for confiscation.

Maya

Finally, a story from Israel's past that sounds like a movie.

Daniel

In nineteen sixty, a massive earthquake hit Agadir in Morocco. A boy named Abraham Ohayon was believed to have died in it.

Maya

Believed.

Daniel

Then, in nineteen seventy, a soldier turned up in Israel claiming to be him, and was reunited with the Ohayon family. The whole country was captivated.

Maya

How did it fall apart?

Daniel

Another family recognized him as their own son. He was arrested and sentenced to prison.

Maya

And the Ohayons?

Daniel

Devastated. And the fate of their real son is still unknown.

Maya

What a thing to live through twice.

Daniel

Losing him, and then losing him again.

Maya

So, what to watch. Sunday, President Herzog formally hands Eisenkot the mandate. Listen for whether the Haredi parties respond to Lieberman's offer.

Daniel

If they bite, Eisenkot's path to sixty-one gets a lot clearer.

Maya

Follow Good Morning, Israel so tomorrow's episode is waiting for you.

Daniel

See you tomorrow morning.