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Israel's Supreme Court has ruled that police requests for a journalist's raw interview materials were too sweeping, while investigators have summoned three reporters to testify in the 'Qatargate' investigation. The rulings and summonses come as authorities probe alleged Qatari influence within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's orbit during hostage negotiations.

Coverage Comparison

The Jerusalem Post reported on two developments in the ongoing investigation. One article detailed the Supreme Court's decision on Wednesday to accept journalist Omri Assenheim's appeal against lower court rulings that required him to hand over all raw materials from his interview with Eli Feldstein, a former advisor to Netanyahu and a central suspect in the case. The other reported that investigators from Lahav 433, the National Crime Unit, summoned three political, diplomatic, and military reporters to provide testimony on Monday.

The court, in a decision authored by Supreme Court President Isaac Amit and joined by Justices Alex Stein and Khaled Kabub, held that police may not demand the entirety of a journalist's raw materials and only afterward decide what is relevant. Amit described the request as a "fishing expedition - and not with a fishing rod, but with a net." The court did not end the police effort entirely; instead, it ordered police to submit a new, narrowed, and concrete request by June 3, explaining at least "at the level of headings" which materials they seek and why. Assenheim may respond by June 11.

The decision marked a precedential ruling that journalistic privilege may extend beyond the identity of a source. The case stems from Assenheim's three-part KAN 11 interview with Feldstein, aired in December, which touched on the Bild case - the investigation into the alleged leak of a classified IDF document to the German newspaper Bild. Feldstein claimed in the interview that Netanyahu's chief of staff, Tzachi Braverman, met him late at night in a car in the Kirya parking lot and allegedly told him he could "shut off" the investigation.

Separately, investigators summoned three journalists for open testimony, rather than for an investigation under caution. The journalists were named as Itamar Eichner from Yediot Aharonot, Amir Bohbot from Walla, and Amichai Stein from i24 and the Post. They were questioned regarding their working relationships with Feldstein. The testimonies were gathered as supplementary investigative work before a decision on pre-indictment hearings and indictments, as first reported by Ynet. Other military, political, and diplomatic reporters have been summoned under the same conditions previously. The prosecution declined to comment.

Key Claims

  • The Supreme Court accepted Assenheim's appeal against lower court decisions requiring him to hand over all raw materials from his interview with Eli Feldstein.
  • The police request for raw materials was deemed too sweeping, and the court ordered a new, narrowed, and concrete request by June 3.
  • Journalistic privilege may extend beyond the identity of a source.
  • Investigators summoned three journalists - Itamar Eichner, Amir Bohbot, and Amichai Stein - to provide testimony in the Qatargate investigation.
  • The journalists were questioned about their working relationships with Eli Feldstein, a central suspect.
  • The Qatargate investigation involves alleged Qatari influence inside Netanyahu's orbit, and authorities are investigating whether aides received illicit payments from Qatari-linked sources.
  • Charges under consideration include bribery, contact with a foreign agent, and money laundering.

Perspectives

Police and prosecution

The police sought the journalist's raw materials, arguing they were needed for the investigation, but the court found the request too broad. The prosecution declined to comment on the case.

Court

The Supreme Court, in a precedential decision, ruled that journalistic privilege may extend beyond source identity and that police must narrow their requests for materials.

Journalists and suspects

Journalists summoned for testimony, including Assenheim, have sought to protect their materials and sources. Feldstein has denied wrongdoing, and his claims about a senior aide seeking to "shut off" the investigation have been aired in the interview.