An Israeli lawyer sits in custody tonight, charged with keeping contact with a foreign agent. The Jerusalem Post reports that the State Attorney's Office filed the indictment with the Central District Court in Lod on Monday, October 26. The charges: contact with a foreign agent and obstruction of justice.
Israel Police and the Shin Bet, Israel's domestic security agency, arrested her nearly two-and-a-half weeks ago on suspicion of security offenses, the Post reports. Israel National News adds that the indictment followed a joint investigation by the two agencies. According to investigators, she maintained contact with a foreign agent and interfered with the investigative proceedings themselves.
Much of the case stays hidden. The court kept it under a gag order and allowed only a summary to be published, at the request of security authorities. The announcement did not identify the foreign agent's affiliation or describe the nature of the alleged contact, the Post notes. Prosecutors asked that she remain in custody until the proceedings against her conclude.
What it means. Israel National News reports that authorities have not publicly disclosed further details. But the Post places the case alongside a series of recent cases in which, authorities say, Iran has tried to recruit Israelis through social media and online messaging platforms. In those cases, prosecutors described offers of payment for assignments ranging from photography and information-gathering to threats and violent acts.
Two examples from this year, as the Post recounts them. In April, prosecutors indicted two young Israelis in a case involving alleged contact with Iranian intelligence. The main defendant was approached through a Telegram group and offered money for illegal assignments, according to the indictment. The second defendant allegedly helped prepare forged documents purporting to contain classified information about Israeli and US plans to attack Iran. In February, the Jerusalem District Court sentenced Elimelech Stern to three years in prison after convicting him of contact with an Iranian intelligence operative and conspiracy to threaten. His assignments were paid in cryptocurrency.
This case stands out in one way: the accused is a lawyer. Whether the agent she allegedly spoke with served Iran or another power, the court has not said. Watch for the gag order to lift. For now, the investigation is closed, the charges are filed, and the Shin Bet and police have said nothing more. “Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” (Psalm 121:4)
One small difference shows up between the two reports. Israel National News says the charges were filed by the Central District Prosecutor's Office once the investigation had concluded, while the Post names the State Attorney's Office. Both agree on where the case now sits: the Central District Court in Lod. Both also use the Shin Bet's formal name, the Israel Security Agency, the service that worked the case alongside Israel Police from the arrest through the indictment.
