‘Deep state’ probe? Shin Bet whistleblower under investigation

A Shin Bet agent who exposed secret probes into alleged right-wing extremism within Israel’s police is now under criminal investigation himself.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

A member of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) who revealed the existence of an unauthorized investigation into the Israel Police is now the subject of a probe, which could result in criminal charges.

The man, who has not been identified by Hebrew-language media, is believed to have warned a right-wing politician and several journalists about the Shin Bet’s efforts to investigate “Kahanist extremism” within the country’s police.

The leak and investigation into the whistleblower were previously subject to a gag order banning reporting on the matter, but the restriction was lifted by an Israeli court on Tuesday morning.

Several weeks ago, Hebrew-language media reported that Shin Bet head Ronen Bar launched an investigation into Public Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, whose authority includes the police, despite being specifically told by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Attorney General Gali Barahav-Miara that he did not have grounds to do so.

According to documents leaked by the whistleblower, Bar ignored the instructions of Netanyahu and the attorney general, ordering covert probes of Ben-Gvir and alleged right-wing extremist elements with the police force.

During a recent meeting between Bar and Ben-Gvir, the Shin Bet head was said to have lied to the minister and denied that he had spearheaded an investigation into the politician and the police.

Hebrew-language media reported that Ben-Gvir then surprised Bar by presenting him with an internal Shin Bet document, which proved that the intelligence chief had indeed done so.

Bar was recently fired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but his dismissal was frozen by the Supreme Court.

The Shin Bet employee who leaked the documents is now being investigated for wrongdoing, including publicizing matters of national security – a charge vehemently denied by his attorneys.

The whistleblower “conveyed information of immense… importance with the intention of bringing it to public attention, while ensuring that no security-related information was disclosed,” his lawyers, Uri Korb and Sivan Russo, said in a media statement.

Bar, Baharav-Miara, and Department of Internal Police Investigations head Keren Ben Menachem are leading the investigation into the leak.

In a statement, Ben-Gvir referred to the trio as “three people of the Deep State who are crossing every line.”

Numerous members of the Netanyahu coalition offered support to the whistleblower, including Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli.

Far-left MK Yair Golan of the Democrats Party claimed that the scandal was an act of manipulation, charging that the Shin Bet agent had utilized “certain journalists to spread various conspiracy theories and deep-state narratives.”