Spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Eli Feldstein: news.pn.
On 5 November, a magistrates’ court in Rishon LeZion extended the arrest of Eli Feldstein, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was responsible for security issues in his press office. It is known that the arrest has been extended until 10 November. Timeukraineisrael, citing Vesty , reports that the hearing was held behind closed doors at the request of the Shabak, Israel’s General Security Service. At the same court hearing, the issue of extending the detention of two more of the four other suspects in the case of leaking classified documents was considered.
Classified details and the position of lawyers
Feldstein is suspected of passing army documents to foreign media during the war, which is a serious violation of security rules. The suspect’s lawyer, Oded Saburai, said after the hearing: “My client’s arrest has been extended until Sunday, and that’s all I can say for now.” Other details of the case remain closed for publication due to the high level of secrecy.
Among the suspects in the case are four soldiers of a secret unit of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), whose purpose is to ensure the security of information. One of the detainees, a reserve major, was arrested on 4 November, and the court extended his detention until 7 November. Another suspect was released to house arrest earlier.
The investigation and the court’s position
Judge Menachem Mizrahi, who is hearing the case, emphasised: “The investigation was conducted at a high professional level and must be completed. If the ban on publication is lifted, it could significantly affect the course of the investigation and the veracity of the results.” The judge added that the examination of additional evidence confirms the existence of strong suspicions against the detainees.
“The Sinwar document: how the scandal broke out
The scandal began in September, when the German newspaper Bild published the so-called “Sinwar document”, which set out instructions for Hamas on how to negotiate with Israel during the truce discussions. The document referred to the need to restore Hamas’ military capabilities and increase pressure on Israel. The text was clearly biased, and an investigation later revealed that the document provided by Bild did not correspond to the original text.
Another controversial piece was an article published in the British Jewish publication The Jewish Chronicle. It referred to possible plans to take hostages from Gaza across the border with Egypt to Iran or Yemen. After conducting its own investigation, The Jewish Chronicle apologised and removed the article from its website, and an investigation was opened against the author of the article, Israeli Eli Ifrach.
New circumstances and prospects of the investigation
In early September, Israeli journalist Ronen Bergman reported that the IDF was checking the sources of information that had reached the media, allegedly leaked from military systems. However, the results of the investigation confirmed that no classified documents were found in the protocols. As the source of the information remained unknown, the IDF continues to work to identify additional suspects in the case.
