Knesset gives preliminary okay to intelligence clearinghouse under PM’s purview

A bill establishing a new intelligence oversight body directly under the authority of the prime minister passes a preliminary reading 56-36 in the Knesset plenum.

The bill, sponsored by Likud MK Amit Halevi, seeks to create a so-called Devil’s Advocate unit to challenge the conclusions of intelligence bodies in hopes of avoiding missteps caused by groupthink. The unit, which would report directly to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, would have the authority to demand intelligence information from “any intelligence body… or any other state institution” in Israel. This would include military intelligence, the Shin Bet, the Mossad and the National Security Council.

According to the legislation, the proposed unit would be tasked with synthesizing and analyzing this information and providing the prime minister, defense minister, and intelligence agencies with alternate takes on security challenges. It would also be required to report regularly to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

Its head of the unit — which would largely operate independently and would be prohibited from employing anybody who has served in an intelligence agency within the prior two years — would be legally required to weigh in on any issue brought before the security cabinet for a decision.

In addition, they would also be required to submit such analyses to the heads of any relevant security bodies “regarding any plan or military operation” needing the security cabinet’s approval. Neither the security cabinet nor the leaders of security agencies would be allowed to make a decision without such input.

The bill’s advancement comes as law enforcement is probing alleged “systematic” theft of classified intelligence documents from Israel Defense Forces databases and the transfer of those files to people in the Prime Minister’s Office, amid suspicions that they were utilized for political purposes.