Israel is investigating leaks that appear to have propped up Netanyahu as Gaza truce talks stall

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — An Israeli court on Sunday was considering overturning a gag order in a case involving the alleged leak of classified information from an associate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Critics say they were aimed at giving him political cover as ceasefire talks in Gaza stalled.

Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing and said no one from his office has been arrested or is under investigation. He downplayed the case and publicly called for the gag order to be lifted.

Israeli media reports said the case involved a leak of classified information to two European media outlets by an adviser who may not have been officially employed or had a security clearance, without naming the person.

Netanyahu said the person in question “has never participated in security discussions, been exposed to or received classified information, or taken part in secret visits.”

The leaked documents are said to have formed the basis of a widely discredited article in London’s Jewish Chronicle (which was later retracted) which stated that Hamas was planning to remove hostages from the Gaza Strip via Egypt, as well as an article in the German newspaper Bild which stated, that Hamas viewed the negotiations as a form of psychological warfare against Israel.

Israeli media and other observers expressed skepticism about the articles, which appeared to support Netanyahu’s demands in the talks and absolve him of blame for their failure.

The articles came as Netanyahu called for strong Israeli control of the Philadelphia Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border, a demand that was first made public in the summer. Hamas rejected this demand and accused Netanyahu of deliberately sabotaging the negotiations, which were mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt.

The articles also appeared to provide political cover as Netanyahu faced harsh criticism from the families of the hostages and much of the Israeli public, who accused him of failing to reach an agreement. The criticism came to a head in early September with mass protests and calls for a general strike after Hamas killed six hostages as Israeli troops closed in on them.

The court document confirmed that investigations by police, military and internal security agency Shin Bet are ongoing and that a number of suspects have been arrested for questioning. The statement said the case poses “a risk to sensitive information and sources” and is “detrimental to the achievement of war objectives in the Gaza Strip.”

The court will decide on Sunday whether to lift the ban on other details of the case.

The leak led to a scandal at the Jewish Chronicle, where prominent columnists resigned in protest over the discredited articles. The London newspaper removed the article in question and others by the independent journalist, saying it was “not satisfied with some of his claims.”

The Bild article said Hamas was not serious about the negotiations and used psychological warfare to inflame Israeli divisions. Netanyahu cited this in a meeting with the cabinet after the publication.

He again defended the article in a statement released over the weekend, saying it “exposed Hamas’ methods of exerting psychological pressure at home and abroad on the Israeli government and public, blaming Israel for the failure of hostage negotiations.”

Netanyahu is trying to blame the failure of the negotiations on Hamas, whose attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 provoked the war. Hamas, which still holds many hostages, has said it will release them only in exchange for a lasting ceasefire, a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the release of large numbers of Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas says those demands have not changed since the killing of its top leader Yahya Sinwar last month, as the US, Egypt and Qatar seek to resume negotiations.

Netanyahu, often described by critics as an image obsessive, is on trial for corruption in three separate cases, two of which involve allegations that he provided favors to media moguls in exchange for positive coverage.

His office downplayed the latest case and accused the judiciary of bias, citing numerous other leaks that occurred during the war. He also denies that the leak in question had any impact on the ceasefire negotiations.

“The document only helped the efforts to return the hostages and certainly did not harm them,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on Saturday, adding that he only became aware of the document when it was made public.

His critics say the charges are much more serious.

Yoav Limor, writing for the pro-Netanyahu daily Israel Hayom, called it “one of the most serious events Israel has ever known.”

“The damage this has caused goes beyond national security and gives rise to suspicions that the Prime Minister’s Office acted to disrupt the hostage deal, which was contrary to the objectives of the war.”

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