Netanyahu’s Office Targeted in Secret Leak Investigation

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the target of an investigation into alleged leaks regarding hostage negotiations, according to court documents unsealed in Israel on Friday.

The content of the leaks is not clear, nor is it clear exactly which officials are suspected of having been involved.

The Israeli media reports that the military believes the leaks may have hurt hostage talks, but it is not clear how.

The Times of Israel reported Friday:

Several suspects have been arrested for questioning in connection with an ongoing investigation into the alleged leak of classified documents from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, a judge revealed Friday.

Judge Menachem Mizrahi of the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court said authorities suspect that the leak harmed the achievement of Israel’s war aims, as he partially lifted a gag order regarding the incident dubbed the “security affair.”

…

In response to the announcement, Netanyahu’s office issued a statement asserting that no one on staff has been arrested as part of the probe. However, some analysts noted that the premier has aides who work for him but are not formally employed by his office.

Two publications, the UK Jewish Chronicle and the German Bild, are said to have been the recipients of the leaks, but the Times of Israel notes they did not print anything that Netanyahu was not also saying publicly in Israel at the time.

The announcement of the investigation comes as Netanyahu’s popularity is rising, following military successes in Lebanon, Gaza, and Iran. Netanyahu has been the target of opponents within the Israeli “deep state” for years.

The accusation that the leaks hurt hostage negotiations might also serve to inflame Netanyahu’s opponents, who have stressed the need for a hostage deal above the need for military victory over Hamas and other Iran-backed terrorists.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.