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Sunday, July 13, 2025
Israel Prisons chief indicates he will resign if indicted for obstructing covert probe
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Israel Prisons chief Kobi Yaakobi, who faces possible criminal charges for ethical violations, implies he will resign from his post, should he be indicted by the attorney general.
“With the attorney general’s announcement regarding a decision subject to a hearing, I want to emphasize in the clearest way possible — I have faith in the entire [legal] system and am absolutely certain that the case concerning me will be closed once everything is fully clarified within the legal procedure,” writes Yaakobi in a letter.
“At the same time, should a different decision be reached, I will act solely from my deep commitment to the prison service and to the higher mission I have taken upon myself, in accordance with the values of personal example and accountability,” he continues.
Yaakobi is suspected of obstructing a covert probe into Avishai Muallem, a former high-ranking officer in the West Bank, who allegedly papered over investigations into Jewish nationalist violence. The prisons chief is thought to have informed Muallem of the probe against him when it was still under wraps.
Yaakobi is set to attend a hearing where he will have the opportunity to present evidence supporting his innocence, before prosecutors make the final decision over whether to indict him.
Meanwhile, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir accuses Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara of “threatening officers that implement the policy of the elected officials, in order to politicize the law enforcement system and protect the rule of the ‘deep state.'”
He insists that Yaakobi “will of course remain in his position, and will continue to perform as he has until now.”
The Times of Israel Community.