“Witch Hunt”: Coalition Upset Following Shin Bet Arrest
Efrat Briner of Israel’s Channel 14 news.
Following the publication about the Shin Bet officer who was arrested on suspicion of leaking prohibited materials to journalists, the political system is up in arms • The suspect’s lawyers claim that the investigation against his client was not conducted out for pure motives and that the parties involved have a conflict of interest • The Likud party said that “Ronen Bar (head of the Shin Bet, or “Shabak”) must stop entrenching himself in his position and vacate his position immediately”!
Following the publication about the Shin Bet officer who was arrested on suspicion of leaking prohibited materials to journalists and political parties, the political system is up in arms. Initially, a gag order was imposed on the affair, but in light of the leaking of incorrect information on the affair, it was decided today (Tuesday) to cancel the order and publish some of the details, without the suspect’s name.
“Despite the existence of a gag order on all details of the affair, unfortunately the order was flagrantly violated in this way”. Details from the ongoing investigation were published in violation of the law. In light of the dissemination of partial and incorrect information, it was decided to lift the publication ban in order to stop the continued dissemination of misleading information,” said a spokesman for the division that prosecutes police official.
Last week, a Shin Bet officer was arrested who, on suspicion, abused his security position and the access he was given to Shin Bet systems, and provided classified information on several occasions to unauthorized parties. An order was issued against the suspect to prevent him from meeting with a lawyer, which has since been lifted.
According to the police investigation division, “the investigation, which is being conducted by the police investigation division and the Shin Bet, focuses on taking information from Shin Bet systems and passing it on to unauthorized parties. It should be emphasized that no testimonies were collected from journalists as part of the investigation.”
The affair began after journalist Amit Segal published part of an internal Shin Bet document signed by Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, which contained a secret investigation of police officials “on suspicion of a takeover by Kahanism”. The document states that evidence of political interference in the security establishment must continue to be collected. The attorney general approved the opening of the investigation.
Attorneys Uri Korev and Sivan Russo, representing the arrested Shin Bet official, commented on his arrest. According to them, the investigation against their client was not conducted out of the purest motivations: “It appears that the decision of the heads of the systems is subject to a conflict of interest that affected the manner in which the investigation against our client was conducted and is being conducted.”
The suspect’s lawyers added that “the information our client provided was not supposed to be protected by confidentiality, in essence, and there is no dispute that our client did not provide information that could endanger the public. Our client contacted a government minister and two journalists, on two different matters of the highest public importance.”
The political establishment reacted to the affair and harshly criticized Ronen Bar and the attorney general. The Likud party sharply attacked the arrest of the Shin Bet official: “This morning, another shocking and dangerous affair was revealed in the Shin Bet under Ronen Bar. A Shin Bet official who felt that the organization under Ronen Bar had become a political entity was arrested and interrogated in the Shin Bet’s dungeons.”
The Likud party shouted: “The political investigations must stop immediately. Ronen Bar, who failed terribly on October 7 and has since lost the trust of the entire government, must stop entrenching himself in his position and vacate his position immediately. The men and women Shin Bet officers who do a sacred task deserve a different Shin Bet chief.
Minister Amichai Shikli, who is apparently involved in the affair in which a Shin Bet officer was interrogated, addressed the issue and said that no secret material was leaked, and that he would fight for the suspect’s innocence with all his might: “The Shin Bet chief hijacked the organization for its most draconian capabilities and turned them into a personal tool for revenge and political persecution, and not for the first time.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also addressed the affair and said, “This is what a real coup d’état looks like. When a secret intelligence organization uses the draconian powers granted to it for clear security purposes against elected officials and journalists while completely losing the brakes and controls.”
Smotrich announced on the X network that he would boycott discussions with Ronen Bar: “The Shin Bet chief is a failure who was removed from his position and cannot be a part of security discussions.” He also wrote that “Ronen Bar failed in his position on October 7th and now he is adding sin to crime and acting criminally to carry out a coup.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Yariv Levin also addressed the affair. According to him, the head of the Shin Bet is behaving as if he had a private intelligence organization that could conduct a political hunting expedition: “The address is one – the Supreme Court. The message is clear – you are not above the law. You too are required to respect the people’s decision.”
Levin also said: “This is no coincidence. Selective enforcement and the criminal use of law enforcement authorities for political and personal needs have become a method of the left to harm its opponents and thwart any change in the state systems and in particular in the judicial system. None of this could have happened if they had not known that they had the backing of the High Court judges.”
Comment: It would be a mistake to think that the abuse of power by the Shabak is a recent change initiated by Ronen Bar. The truth is that the organization has been abusing government power for decades to damage the political right.
See:
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