IDF officer convicted of sexual offenses, endangering national security

An Israel Defense Forces officer in the Civil Administration was this week convicted of a string of serious offenses, including sexual assault and endangering national security, in a case whose details are mostly under gag order.

The Civil Administration, formally known as Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), is under the auspices of the Defense Ministry. It manages civilian affairs in Palestinian areas, acting as a liaison between the government, the IDF and the Palestinian Authority.

The army said Wednesday that the unnamed officer, whose rank was not disclosed, was found guilty on Sunday in a military court under the jurisdiction of the General Staff.

The officer was convicted on most of the charges against him, the IDF said, including sexual offenses, sexual harassment, bribe-taking, fraud, breach of trust and exceeding his authority to extent of posing a national security risk.

According to the IDF, the officer was detained since the start of criminal proceedings against him. Haaretz newspaper said that he was indicted at the start of 2016.

The army declined to divulge whether he has already been sentenced, or any details of his punishment. There is “no way to elaborate on identifying details,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit told The Times of Israel.