Cabinet okays Pegasus spyware inquiry, rejects AG’s reservations

The cabinet has voted to form a committee to examine law enforcement’s use of spyware technology, in line with a request by Justice Minister Yariv Levin.

Granted investigative powers by the government, the panel will examine police and State Attorney’s Office conduct in matters touching upon procurement of, surveillance with, and collection of evidence through the use of cyber tools.

Levin said that the matter is directly connected to the police spyware scandal that broke in 2022, which revealed police usage of Pegasus — sophisticated cellphone hacking technology — to obtain unfettered and possibly illegal access to citizens’ devices.

“The spyware affair is one of the most serious ones exposed in recent years. Exposing the truth in the matter, and preventing similar incidents of fatal infringement of Israeli citizens’ right to privacy, is vital and extremely important,” Levin writes in a statement after the committee’s approval.

The panel’s conclusions will help formulate a regulatory structure for how these advanced tools can be used, “in order to strengthen public trust that was damaged by the Pegasus affair,” Levin’s office adds.

Reflecting Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara’s opposition to the panel, Deputy Attorney General Gil Limon expressed concern that the committee may interfere with ongoing cases.

In a letter sent last week to Levin, the attorney general wrote that the minister does not have the authority to form a panel that probes open legal cases, and particularly expressed concern that the committee may interfere with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ongoing trial.