From the Liveblog of
Monday, February 7, 2022
Justice minister on spyware scandal: People should be cautious with their phones
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJustice Minister Gideon Sa’ar blitzes evening news studios to talk about the police Pegasus spyware allegations and assure viewers that the claims will be probed and mistakes fixed.
“This won’t be covered up,” he tells Channel 12, Channel 13 and Kan separately.
“If someone did something illegal, he will be prosecuted,” he tells Channel 13.
He tells Channel 12 that the Justice Ministry did not know about the abuse beyond content from a phone having been vacuumed up as detailed in a probe by the deputy attorney general. Details published in Calcalist Monday morning are also not known to the ministry.
“If they would have told me about this, I would say it is made up — but it needs to be checked,” he tells Channel 12.
Despite his apparent skepticism, he tells Channel 13 news that he operates with the assumption that his phone can be hacked and secrets exposed, and others should use caution as well.
Asked whether he checked to see if the Pegasus spyware was on his phone, he says no, and notes that a few years ago, when he was told a news organization may have broken into his phone, he just threw it away and got a new one.
“I think someone who lives in our time needs to be cautious,” he says. But pressed on whether Israelis should be worried they are being spied on, he backtracks and appears to suggest that only those who have access to sensitive materials need to be careful.
He tells 13 that Israel cannot abandon its police force over the scandal since “we don’t have a spare police force. There’s nobody else on the front lines against crime.”
He says the Pegasus scandal will be discussed with incoming attorney general Gali Baharav-Miara and defends the fact that he chose the relatively unknown lawyer for the role, telling Channel 13 that lawyers are generally “not celebrities,” and denies that he is in her pocket.
Sa’ar tells Channel 12 that he never discussed a possible plea bargain for former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu with her.
The Times of Israel Community.