Court indefinitely extends detention of defendants in PMO security documents case

The Tel Aviv-Jaffa District Court extends indefinitely the detention of Eli Feldstein, the central suspect in the Prime Minister’s Office security documents scandal, and that of an IDF reservist noncommissioned officer.

The decision issued by Judge Ala Masarwa follows a remand hearing at the court during which Feldstein appeared for the first time.

Feldstein was indicted on the charge of transferring classified information with the intent to harm the state, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, over allegations that he leaked a secret document to the Bild newspaper as part of an effort to influence the public discourse over hostage negotiations.

The NCO, whose name is under gag order, was indicted on a lesser charge of transferring classified documents, while other suspects in the case have yet to be indicted.

Masarwa permitted Feldstein and the NCO to hold 10 telephone conversations and have family visits.

“Someone observing from the sidelines could not understand why the state is behaving in this way,” Uri Korev, who is representing the NCO, is quoted as saying by Channel 13.

“The ground will shake here when the gag order is lifted. To think that the state wants to incarcerate this man until the end of proceedings, after October 7, shows that perhaps we have learned nothing and will learn nothing.”