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A reservist in Israel’s Shin Bet security agency who is under investigation for allegedly leaking classified information was responsible for censoring internal agency documents, his attorney said Tuesday during a court hearing.
Attorney Ori Korb, representing the suspect identified only as “A,” told the Central District Court in Lod that his client had served as a “document control officer” in the Shin Bet. “He censored anything that could potentially harm the state. That was his job,” Korb said.
In contrast, representatives from the Police Internal Investigations Department (Mahash) argued that A “demonstrated a complete lack of restraint” and accused him of leaking materials directly from the agency’s computer systems.
The hearing was held over an appeal against the suspect's arrest, with the court eventually deciding to remand A's arrest until 2:00 p.m. Wednesday. The case has drawn significant political attention due to the nature of the alleged leaks and the figures involved.
According to investigators, the reservist is suspected of leaking internal and confidential materials to journalists and to Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party. Korb argued the suspect acted out of a belief that the public—and the political leadership—had a right to know the information. “It is absolutely clear to anyone who looks at this that he did it because he believed it served the public interest,” Korb said. “The information does not endanger Israel and poses no threat to state security.”
Korb said the first disclosure allegedly made by the suspect was shared with journalist Amit Segal and Minister Chikli. It concerned a Shin Bet operation that, according to Korb, raised serious questions about both its necessity and legality. “This was done only after an internal review had concluded, and he believed the public deserved to know what had occurred,” Korb added.
“The struggle for democracy includes many components, and one of them is the public’s right to know,” Korb told the court. “Sometimes people mistakenly think that any violation of the law is a threat to democracy. But sometimes it’s the violation that exposes such a threat.”
Authorities have confirmed the suspect is not accused of harming national security.
The Shin Bet confirmed it is investigating an employee accused of exploiting their position to access and leak classified information to unauthorized parties. In a statement, the Shin Bet said the employee “used their direct access to the agency’s information systems to obtain classified material and transfer it covertly on multiple occasions.”
The agency launched an internal probe after suspecting classified information had been compromised. “The investigation established reasonable suspicion that the employee actively violated legal and organizational obligations by removing classified materials,” the statement added. The Shin Bet stressed that its operations adhered to the law and that “at no point were journalists’ phones monitored.
The affair has triggered political fallout, with Likud officials defending the reservist and accusing Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara of politicizing the agency. “A Shin Bet official who felt the agency under Ronen Bar had become political has been arrested and interrogated in Shin Bet basements,” the party said in a statement. Netanyahu retweeted the statement on social media.
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Bar has been summoned to appear on Sunday before the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee to address the case and other matters. A separate invitation from the Knesset Constitution Committee, chaired by MK Simcha Rothman, is not expected to be honored.
In a related development, a high-level security meeting at the IDF Southern Command's Gaza Division, which was to include Netanyahu, Bar, and several ministers, was canceled at the last minute without explanation. The cancellation followed threats by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who said he would not attend any meeting where Bar was present.