After a court ruling partially lifted the military gag order, details regarding the leaking of secret documents about the war in Gaza from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have began to gradually emerge.
The leaks have shaken Israeli society and sparked widespread controversy within political and media circle, as the ruling provided an initial glimpse into the case that the court said had endangered security sources and possibly harmed Israel’s war efforts.
The Israeli internal security service, the Shin Bet, said that another officer had been arrested in connection with the leaks from Netanyahu’s office.
Israel’s top brass in turmoil
The investigation into the case began after the agency and the Israeli army developed strong suspicions that secret and sensitive intelligence information had been obtained from the army’s systems and was leaked, after two British and German newspapers published reports in October that were later denied by the Israeli security and government agencies.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid and the head of the National Unity party, Benny Gantz, made a joint statement attacking Netanyahu over the leak of secret documents from his office.
Lapid said: “This case came out of the prime minister’s office, and it must be investigated to ensure that it was not on his orders.”
He explained that, “If Netanyahu knew about this, he is complicit in one of the most serious security crimes, and if he did not know, what does he know? If this is true, he is not qualified.”
Gantz pointed out that contrary to the impression that the prime minister’s office tried to create, this is not a matter of suspicion of leaking, but rather of exploiting state secrets for political purposes.
He added that if sensitive security information is stolen and turned into a tool in a political campaign to stay in power, this is not just a criminal offense but a national crime.
Professor of Political Science at Al-Quds University, Ali al-Awar, stressed that the issue of leaking secret documents from Netanyahu’s office and from the 8200 military base could be a main title for settling scores between the Shin Bet and Netanyahu personally.
Awar added that this case has received great attention in the Israeli street, and expected it to constitute a violent shock within Israeli society due to its repercussions on the families of the prisoners and those who sympathize with them.
He explained that the case is very important because the main suspect, Eli Feldstein, is very close to Netanyahu and used to attend his meetings at the Ministry of Defense.
