Photo: Depositphotos
A high-profile scandal erupted in Israel over the Internal Security Service (Shabak) investigation, which turned from a secret investigation into a political confrontation between the right-wing and the country’s law enforcement system.
The case became known on 14 April in the evening – initially from media leaks that reported a “new secret investigation without precedent”. However, the details of the case have only now become available after the ban on publication was partially lifted.
As it turned out, the man in question is a Shabak reservist who had served more than 25 years in the security service and was re-mobilised after the 7 October Hamas attack. He is suspected of passing classified information to journalists and MPs. In particular, this concerns an internal Shabak investigation into the identification of radical right-wing supporters of the Qahanism movement in the police force.
Political warfare around the case
The case was immediately used in the political struggle. Likud MPs Tali Gottlieb and Avichai Boaron defended the suspect. They stated that they enjoyed parliamentary immunity and accused Shabak head Ronen Bar of “personal revenge” and “abuse of power”.
“The head of Shabak and the government’s legal adviser, Gali Baharav-Miara, have reached the bottom of moral and administrative corruption,” Boaron said.
Gottlieb added that the case against the agent is an attempt to put pressure and discredit political opponents.
Prosecution and defence
According to the Israeli Ministry of Justice, the suspected reservist passed on information that could threaten the security of the state. At the time of his arrest, he was temporarily denied access to a lawyer, a decision that was later reversed.
The detainee’s lawyers – Uri Korb and Sivan Ruso – insist that their client acted in the public interest and made important data public.
The head of the parliamentary legislative commission, Simha Rotman, sharply criticised Shabak’s actions, accusing the intelligence service of double standards:
“Ronen Bar only demonstrates resolve when it comes to internal ideological disputes rather than external threats,” he said.
Rothman also accused the Ministry of Justice of selectively protecting the rights of journalists, stressing that “journalistic confidentiality in Israel is protected worse than the activities of the Qatari channel Al Jazeera”.
The case’s prospects
The Shabak internal investigation scandal has escalated into a high-profile political conflict, exacerbating a long-standing confrontation between right-wing parties and the Israeli justice system.
It is expected that the case will continue both in the legal plane – in the courts – and at the political level – in the Knesset and in the public space. The Israeli media are already calling it one of the most dangerous conflicts between law enforcement agencies and politicians in recent years.
