A Shin Bet official was arrested on Wednesday (April 9) on suspicion he had leaked classified information to unauthorized individuals, the Justice Ministry’s Police Investigation Department (PID) revealed on Tuesday.
According to the PID, “Despite the existence of a gag order on all details of the case, unfortunately, the order was blatantly violated, and details from the ongoing investigation were published illegally.”
“In light of the dissemination of partial and incorrect information, it was decided to lift the gag order in order to halt the continued spread of misleading information,” the statement added. All information was permitted for publication other than the suspect’s name.
According to Israeli law, the PID has the authority to investigate Shin Bet employees after receiving special approvals.
The leaked information in question was not mentioned in the PID statement. However, the suspect’s lawyers Uri Korb and Sivan Russo, revealed that there were two leaks in question. The suspect, who the lawyers said had served in the Shin Bet for decades with dedication and professionalism, admitted to the leaks, but claimed that he had “conveyed information of immense public importance with the intention of bringing it to public attention, while ensuring that no security-related information was disclosed.”
The suspect “approached a government minister and two journalists on two separate matters of paramount public significance. One involved the investigation/review process that Shin Bet leaders sought to conduct regarding certain political figures and their surroundings—information shared with [Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism] Minister [Amichai] Chikli and journalist Amit Segal.
“Additionally, our client provided information from the full Shin Bet investigation concerning October 7th, which was not released to the public. Contrary to the paraphrase that was published—primarily pointing to the political echelon on certain issues—the information presented a more complex picture regarding the Shin Bet’s conduct and stance prior to the disaster. Our client shared this information of immense public importance with journalist Shirit Avitan, and it is undisputed that it did not endanger state security,” the lawyers said.
Segal indicated on X that the first leak, which he reported on March 23, revealed a document that appeared to show that the Shin Bet had launched an investigation into the infiltration of Kahanism into the Israel Police.
The Kahane Chai (“Kahane is Alive”), or “Kach” for short, is designated a terror organization according to Israeli law. Named after Rabbi Meir Kahane, the movement endorses racist policies against Israeli Arabs and Palestinians.
National Security Minister MK Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees the Israeli police, belonged to the movement in the past. Although he has since declared that he is no longer affiliated with it, in recent years he attended and spoke at memorial ceremonies for Kahane.
The second leak, to Avitan-Cohen, was published on March 25.
The investigation had been under gag order since April 6. However Likud MK Tally Gotliv intentionally violated the order on Monday. After revealing the main details of the case, Gotliv claimed in a post on X that the gag order was intended to shield Shin Bet head Ronen Bar from criticism, and did not have to do with national security.
Gotliv has intentionally violated a series of gag orders since taking office in late 2022, claiming that she has the right to do so as part of her parliamentary immunity. She is currently under a criminal investigation for revealing in 2023 that the husband of Prof. Shikma Bressler, one of the leaders of the protests against the government’s judicial reforms, was a Shin Bet employee.
Ben-Gvir claims arrest part of conspiracy against him
Ben-Gvir argued on X on Tuesday morning that the arrest was part of a wider conspiracy against him. He accused the PID of wiretapping journalists, but did not provide proof. The PID denied that this had occurred and a spokesperson for Ben-Gvir did not respond to a clarification request.
אחרי שהנחו ״לאסוף חומרים״ נגדי כדי לעשות לי סיכול ממוקד, אחרי שריגלו נגד מפכ״ל המשטרה ונגד נציב שב״ס, אחרי שתפרו תיקים לקציני משטרה מצטיינים שכל חטאם שקיימו החוק ומדיניות השר, אחרי שתפרו ותופרים תיקים לרה״מ ואנשיו, אחרי ששיקרו לביהמ״ש – אחרי כל זה, מה זה עבור הפושעים להאזין…
— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) April 15, 2025
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