Ex-justice minister says Knesset should oversee surveillance program

Former justice minister Ayelet Shaked comes out against a government decision to allow security services to conduct mass surveillance over Israelis in a bid to halt the spread of the coronavirus, saying that the Knesset ought to play a role in overseeing such a contentious measure.

“The regulations that were put in place yesterday are extensive and demand close oversight by an open-to-the-public session of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee,” Shaked says in a statement.

“Transparency by the government and earning the trust and support of the public during this process are crucial [in general], and they are especially critical at this time. Despite the crisis, it is important to retain checks and balances in order to prevent bad things from happening,” she writes.