'Feldstein' bill, granting immunity to pass military intel, advances in Knesset

The Ministerial Committee on Legislation has approved a bill that would grant immunity for security officials who transfer data to the political echelon, Israeli media reported Sunday.

The so-called “Feldstein bill” is named after the prime suspect in the Prime Minister’s Office leaks scandal, Eliezer Feldstein, an aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Unapproved transfers of information to the prime minister are not the only crime Feldstein is under investigation for; he is also under investigation for the unauthorized sending of information to the German newspaper Bild.

Currently, all intelligence must go through a control department in the Military Intelligence Directorate, which was established following the Yom Kippur War.

Criticism from the security, legal spheres

Several key figures in the security and legal establishment have criticized the bill.

Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara said she had serious reservations about the bill’s legality.

“The bill raises serious concerns that this is personal legislation aimed at improper political intervention in a criminal proceeding concerning the prime minister’s entourage,” she said.

Deputy Attorney-General Gil Limon said the bill “stands in complete contradiction to the hierarchical structure, command subordination, and discipline, which are the cornerstones of the security agencies.”

It could lead to an increase in leaks of sensitive material because subordinates might feel they need to bypass the existing structures, which disrupts the already existing security system, he said.

Several security officials told Maariv the bill was the result of a conspiracy and refers to an event that did not happen.

“Those who promote such a law simply do not understand what they are talking about and how the system works,” Maariv quoted one of the officials as saying. “In intelligence, just like in any other body, such as in a bank or the police, there is an orderly mechanism of transferring information from the bottom up. There are information systems that collect and filter intelligence, thousands of reports and documents, a whole pool of things.”

“There are 100 or 200 people who see everything,” he said. “Things get to the top after filtering – not because of someone’s desire to hide information but according to the assessment of importance. Whether and how critical the issue is to Israel’s security, the more critical information, according to the criteria, ultimately reaches the representatives. The intelligence is in the offices of senior officials, including in the Prime Minister’s Office.”