Shin Bet official says agency not probing politicians; Ben Gvir asserts it is spying on ministers

Addressing the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, a representative of the Shin Bet states that the security agency has not ordered a leak investigation into the state’s political leadership.

The official says that employees of his agency leaking material would cause it damage and says that such behavior is a matter of concern.

In response, committee chairman Simcha Rothman says that their concern must stem from the fact that the Shin Bet has ordered an investigation into the state’s political echelon, an assertion the official denies.

“There is no Shin Bet investigation now against the political echelon for a leak,” the official states, prompting pushback from National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

In a statement, Ben Gvir claims that Shin Bet chief “Ronen Bar’s culture of lying, politicization, and the fabrication of cases is destroying the General Security Service and endangering the State of Israel.”

“Contrary to denials, the Shin Bet spied on ministers, on MKs, on the police commissioner, on the Israel Prison Service commissioner, and also — as revealed in the recordings — fabricated a case against an outstanding police officer who refused to cooperate in illegal activity,” Ben Gvir states.

“All of this with the active cooperation of the attorney general, who recruited the intelligence service for the purpose of fabricating criminal cases, in selective and corrupt ‘investigations,'” he continues, adding that “there are quite a few Shin Bet members who despise this conduct, but those who are persecuting are a real danger to democracy and the rule of law.”