DayofPal– Israel’s government legal advisor has greenlit an investigation into Prime Minister Netanyahu over leak scandals within his office, paving the way for authorities to directly probe Netanyahu himself, according to Maariv newspaper.
The cases under scrutiny in Netanyahu’s office involve two key allegations: the first centers on suspicions of leaking classified documents, while the second points to attempts to edit protocols linked to Gaza war. Maariv noted that both the legal advisor, Shin Bet, and the police have declined to make any official statements on the issue.
However, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority has revealed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office is entangled in four serious scandals, one of which centers on an alleged attempt to manipulate documents related to early warnings before the October 7th attack last year.
The most alarming of these cases involves the leak of highly classified documents, leading to the arrest of five suspects, including a senior advisor and a high-ranking military officer. The case revolves around the theft and unauthorized release of sensitive military information to foreign media, allegedly aimed at shaping public opinion over a potential prisoner swap with Hamas.
A second case points to attempts within Netanyahu’s office to alter war protocols related to Gaza, seemingly in an effort to influence any official investigations into the government’s failures on October 7th.
Ynet newspaper reported that Netanyahu’s officials edited the minutes of wartime discussions held with Netanyahu, changing protocols regarding the war on Gaza and ceasefire deals. Discrepancies were discovered between transcripts of the meetings and what the figures had heard in real-time.
The third scandal involves accusations that high rank officials close to Netanyahu sought to blackmail a senior army officer with an incriminating video they had obtained from his surveillance cameras in exchange for access to additional confidential materials and information.
The fourth case is tied to a video showing former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant being blocked by security from entering Netanyahu’s office just days after the outbreak of war.
Netanyahu’s office had separately collected sensitive security videos of recently fired defense minister Gallant in a bid for humiliating him. One “embarrassing” footage shows him having a physical confrontation with security guard after the latter prevented his entry into the office, according to Ynet.
Channel 12 also reported that one of the scandals involves a concerted effort to change documents concerning early warnings of the Hamas cross border operation.
According to a political insider, Netanyahu’s aides have gone to great lengths to shield the Prime Minister from suspicion, removing any obstacles in their path to clear his name.
Israeli reports, based on investigations, have stated that the Israeli security leadership was unaware of the contents of the documents, some of which were said to have been found in Gaza and attributed to the late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. However, it was later confirmed that these documents were forged.
Israeli media added that the Prime Minister used these documents, some of which are described as “forged leaks,” to justify his obstruction of negotiations that were on the verge of securing a prisoner exchange deal. However, Netanyahu’s office has dismissed the allegations as defamatory.
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