Likud MK demands parliamentary hearing to discuss probe of Jerusalem Post editor

Following the revelation that police are investigating Jerusalem Post Editor-in-Chief Zvika Klein on suspicion of contact with a foreign agent, as part of the so-called Qatargate affair, Likud MK Amit Helavi demands an “urgent” parliamentary hearing to discuss “the arrest of the editor of a major newspaper in Israel.”

In a letter to Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee chairman Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism) Halevi says that the arrest is “no small matter,” and argues that it is imperative for law enforcement bodies to “carefully verify that the arrest is indeed a result of criminal offenses that are not covered by freedom of the press.”

Stating that he is not conversant with all of the details of the case, Halevi writes that it appears that Klein’s phone was “taken without a warrant,” a serious act which he complains has not prompted an outcry from members of the Israeli news media.

It is the duty of lawmakers “to monitor and ensure that enforcement bodies are acting lawfully” when investigating journalists, Halevi insists.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud-led coalition is currently advancing several bills that critics say are aimed at curtailing press freedom. These include bills to shut down Army Radio and national broadcaster Kan.

Klein was questioned under caution on Tuesday as part of an ongoing probe into alleged unlawful ties between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s senior aides and Qatar. After being questioned, Klein was released to five days of house arrest. A police source told Haaretz that law enforcement obtained the necessary clearance from the State Attorney’s Office to question Klein, as required for investigating journalists.