Levin appeals to High Court against delay in appointing judge to oversee Sde Teiman leak probe

Justice Minister Yariv Levin appeals to the High Court of Justice to suspend an interim order delaying his appointment of a retired judge to head the investigation into the former military advocate general.

The court issued the order after Levin officially submitted the appointment of Yosef Ben-Hamo to oversee the probe into Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi over her role in leaking a video purportedly showing Israeli soldiers abusing a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman facility.

According to the court ruling, the appointment of Ben-Hamo is temporarily stayed, and Levin, the attorney general, and the state attorney’s office have until Monday to respond to the petition.

However, Levin urges that it be lifted now, saying the delay was causing harm to the investigation and implying that the the attorney general and the state attorney’s office were using the delay to get around earlier court rulings.

“Elements who were disqualified by the High Court from overseeing the investigation due to their involvement in the affair are… petitioning the court to revoke the minister’s authority to appoint an external oversight entity,” Levin charges, even though the appeal was filed by the Israel Democracy Guard NGO.

He alleges that “the purpose of this unprecedented action is none other than to delay and thwart the investigation, and in this way prevent it from reaching the truth.”

Levin nominated Ben-Hamo after the court ruled last week that he was allowed to make an appointment, sidelining the attorney general — who he has accused of covering up an investigation into the leak — but invalidating his previous nominee.

The Israel Democracy Guard argued that the ruling earlier this week set an unprecedented principle enabling political involvement in a criminal process.