Israeli Court Lifts Gag Order on Leak Probe Involving Netanyahu Aide
An Israeli court on Sunday partially lifted a gag order on a case investigating the leak of classified information allegedly involving one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s media advisors, The Associated Press reports.
The move allows for the publication of the name of the main suspect, Eli Feldstein, who is accused of leaking sensitive details to European media outlets.
The court did not disclose the identities of three other suspects in the case. The leaked documents, according to Israeli media reports, were used to support articles in the London-based Jewish Chronicle and Germany’s Bild newspaper. Both articles, now withdrawn, cast doubt on Hamas’ commitment to ceasefire negotiations and suggested the group was using psychological warfare to pressure Israel.
Critics of the articles argue they conveniently supported Netanyahu’s position in the talks and absolved him of blame for their failure. The articles emerged at a time when Netanyahu faced intense criticism from the families of hostages and the Israeli public for the stalemate in negotiations.
Netanyahu has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, claiming Feldstein, who joined his team after the October 7 Hamas attack, never had access to classified information. He has also dismissed allegations that the leak hampered the talks, arguing that it actually helped secure the release of hostages.
However, the leak has sparked a major scandal. The Jewish Chronicle removed the article in question and apologized for its publication, while several prominent columnists resigned in protest. The Bild article, which Netanyahu cited in a Cabinet meeting, suggested Hamas was deliberately dragging out negotiations to exploit Israeli divisions.
Yoav Limor, a columnist for the pro-Netanyahu daily Israel Hayom, described the affair as “one of the gravest Israel has ever known,” alleging the Prime Minister’s office might have intentionally sabotaged hostage negotiations.
The investigation into the leak is being conducted by the police, military and the Shin Bet internal security agency. The court document outlining the case states the affair poses “a risk to sensitive information and sources” and “harms the achievement of the goals of the war in the Gaza Strip.”
