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Leaks and distortions dog Netanyahu amid Israeli security scandal

JERUSALEM

On November 8, Israel's Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara allowed investigations into security leaks, forgeries and protocol changes related to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.

One of the cases under investigation is related to the military's theft, manipulation and leaking of information to foreign media to influence public opinion on a possible hostage swap deal with Palestinian factions in Gaza.

That investigation led to the arrest of five people, including an aide in Netanyahu's office and a senior official.

Netanyahu is suspected of leaking documents obtained from Gaza by the Israeli military to the German daily Bild and the London-based weekly The Jewish Chronicle, with modified documents suggesting they belonged to the late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

These leaks, intended to create the impression that Hamas did not want a barter deal and wanted to smuggle Israeli hostages through the Philadelphi Corridor near the Egyptian border, were cited by Netanyahu on September 2 to justify an Israeli ground operation in Rafah, the south of the country reject the Gaza Strip and reject demands for an exchange agreement.

blackmail

The second case concerns alleged attempts to alter documents relating to early warnings of the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which could potentially impact the official investigation into security failures on that day.

The third investigation focuses on attempts by officials in Netanyahu's office to blackmail a senior officer in the military secretariat to obtain classified information.

The fourth investigation concerns a video in which former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was prevented from entering Netanyahu's office by security forces shortly after the start of the Gaza war.

In addition, a separate investigation is being opened against Tzachi Hanegbi, the chairman of Israel's National Security Council and a close confidante of Netanyahu.
Hanegbi is being investigated on suspicion of accepting a bribe of 10,000 shekels (about $2,677) for a letter of recommendation.

History of leaks
These investigations have drawn attention to what political analyst Roy Rubinstein called Netanyahu's “long history of leaks” in a November 8 article in the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth.

Rubinstein said in his article that Netanyahu's supporters and opponents agree that he “cannot be trusted with secrets,” citing numerous instances in which he leaked information or documents – whether as prime minister, opposition leader or Knesset member.

He referred to one of the most famous leaks involving Netanyahu in 2007, when he, as opposition leader, publicly confirmed an Israeli attack on Syrian nuclear facilities and congratulated him at the time

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and risks violating Israel's longstanding policy of ambiguity regarding such operations.

“Israel’s biggest leaker”

In an article published in the Israel Hayom newspaper on February 15, 2024, political analyst Yoav Limor described Netanyahu as “Israel's biggest leaker.”

To support his view, Limor cited Netanyahu's 1995 document on a possible peace deal with Syria, when he was opposition leader.

In addition to what Rubinstein and Limor noted, there have been numerous other leak incidents involving Netanyahu over the last decade.

In October 2012, sensitive information from security cabinet discussions about attack plans against Iran was leaked, raising concerns about information security within the political leadership.

Similarly, in March 2015, Israel leaked classified details about the Iran nuclear negotiations to US members of Congress in order to influence their stance on the deal with Tehran.

Each of these cases sparked significant debate in Israel about the handling of sensitive information and the impact of data leaks on national security, and raised questions about the role of political leaders in protecting sensitive information.

disaster

However, the problem of leaks in Israel is not new, but goes back much further, as shown by documents and investigations by the Shimon-Agranat Commission into the 1973 war with Egypt.

During deliberations in then-Prime Minister Golda Meir's office on October 9, 1973, Meir proposed what she called a “crazy” idea: flying to Washington for 24 hours to brief U.S. President Richard Nixon on the latest war developments .

She implored those present not to reveal this idea, saying, “I swear to God that this must remain a secret between us,” emphasizing the critical importance of secrecy.

When asked by the Agranat Commission whether there was a specific system for what important and sensitive information should be communicated to the Israeli government, Meir replied: “A disaster ruins many things; The problem of leaks threatens many things.”

Allegations against Netanyahu

When opposition leader Yair Lapid learned of the leaks involving Netanyahu's office, he sharply criticized the prime minister, calling him “unfit to lead Israel” and accusing him of exploiting state secrets for political and personal gain.

“These leaks came from Netanyahu’s office and it needs to be verified whether the prime minister was aware of them,” Lapid said in a post on X on November 7.

On the same day, former Defense Minister Benny Gantz noted that this was “not just a suspicion of a leak, but rather the trading of state secrets for political purposes.”

Meanwhile, Israel's Democratic Party leader Yair Golan accused Netanyahu of knowingly and intentionally harming the army and national security during the war through his leaks.
Golan stated on We have an illegitimate prime minister and an illegitimate government.”

In contrast, Social Equality Minister May Golan sparked controversy by comparing Netanyahu to US President-elect Donald Trump, noting similarities in the way both confront political opponents and the judicial and media institutions.

In his speech in the Knesset on November 7, Golan said: “Netanyahu and Trump are both facing legal persecution and the justice system is being used against them for political purposes.”

Golan suggested that this comparison was intended to bolster Netanyahu's image as a “leader” not only within the ruling Likud party but also as a “popular figure,” drawing inspiration from Trump's model of political resurgence.

Lie detector test

While Netanyahu previously blamed cabinet members for the leaks and demanded that all ministers undergo a lie detector test to identify the source, writer Yoav Limor called on the prime minister to take the test before all other Israeli politicians.

In this regard, Yisrael Beiteinu Party leader Avigdor Lieberman claimed that Netanyahu consistently refuses to undergo a lie detector test.

In an interview with the Israeli newspaper Maariv on November 7, Lieberman revealed that during his time in government he had suggested that every minister or cabinet member take an annual lie detector test, but Netanyahu always rejected this suggestion.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala

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