From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, June 4, 2024
Likud MK Gotliv to be probed over claims trying to link protest leader to Hamas
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Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has signed off on police launching a criminal investigation into Likud MK Tally Gotliv, who claimed in January that the partner of a prominent anti-government protest leader held talks with the head of Hamas in Gaza days before the October 7 massacre.
Reports in Hebrew-language media indicate that the probe will focus on suspicions that Gotliv illegally disclosed classified information, seemingly related to online posts identifying the partner of protest leader Shikma Bressler as a Shin Bet agent.
According to Bressler, who is suing Gotliv for defamation, the lawmaker made repeated allegations, first circulated in a social media post in October, that US intelligence agencies had intercepted a conversation between her partner and Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar. According to the conspiracy theory, Mossad head David Barnea had summoned Bressler for a meeting as a result of the intelligence, days before the October 7 attacks on southern Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the head of the Likud party, and the Mossad spy agency have all repeatedly and forcibly denied the claims.
Gotliv responds to the news by announcing that she will refuse to cooperate with the police investigation, citing parliamentary immunity.
“Immunity is total and cannot be removed,” she states incorrectly. “Write it down, I have no plan to appear before the inquest.”
“There is no authority that can compel me to be investigated and my immunity protects me from criminal process related to things done or said in the course of fulfilling my job,” she adds.
The Times of Israel Community.