Just before Shabbat, a new storm erupted around Shin Bet chief David Zinni. According to reports, he requested permission to investigate a suspected leak to Channel 12 News about the timing of Operation Lion’s Roar. Remember that? When every studio and all of Israel didn’t know and just sat around speculating when the hell the strike would happen—and Channel 12 gets the golden tip moments before, sits with urgent graphics ready to roll, and opens its broadcast in the first seconds of the attack.
3+A severe and shocking incident that endangered an operation involving a third country, our best pilots, and aircraft worth millions of dollars—an incident that must be investigated at least as thoroughly as Eli Feldstein was interrogated in Shin Bet basements. And behold the miracle (let’s all be shocked for a moment…), what interests the media? Especially the channel that scored the golden leak? They’re not interested in the suspected leak. Not in the question of how such sensitive security information got out. But in the very fact that someone dares to ask to investigate.
Suddenly the entire discussion is about who requested the investigation, why he requested it, and whether it’s even allowed to investigate. Excuse me, I don’t understand! If there’s suspicion that classified security information like this leaked from state bodies and reached the media prematurely, isn’t the first thing you do investigate how it happened and who’s responsible?
3+But at Channel 12 and among some commentators, they’re trying as usual to divert the discussion. Instead of dealing with the substance, they deal with the shell. Instead of asking how such sensitive information reached the media, they ask why Zinni is requesting an investigation.
And what’s the deal? When there was a leak to the German newspaper Bild, we heard for days about damage to national security, demands for investigations and arrests. No one asked then why they’re even investigating the leak itself. No… you want to know what changed? It’s obvious, right? The source changed and the destination changed. Who leaked and to whom it was leaked.
3+The leak itself? Still stands—even though if you ask me, leaking to a German newspaper what the whole world and his wife knows, that the Kaplan protests serve Sinwar and not the hostages, is a far less terrible leak than notifying a media outlet when an operation the scale of a world war is about to begin, just so they can be first to break into the airwaves.
And now they’re already pulling out the words “end of democracy” and “assault on press freedom.” As if press freedom ever granted immunity from investigating suspected security leaks. So nice try, panic channels, but you didn’t manage to confuse us. Eyes on the ball.
3+We want to know who leaked this operation, and that’s a question the Shin Bet must investigate to root out leakers from the organization’s ranks. And Channel 12? I’d prefer you be busy asking not why Zinni, the Shin Bet chief, is requesting to open an investigation and wants to check—but why the same law that applies to Feldstein, who allegedly leaked to benefit Netanyahu, doesn’t apply to whoever leaked to benefit you.
We make a great effort to locate copyright holders in photographs. Use of works whose copyright holder is unknown or not located is done according to Section 27A of the Copyright Law. If you have identified a photograph and you are the copyright holder, please contact [email protected]