Elad Sela, in court
Elad Sela, in courtHonenu

An Israeli soldier was indicted on Monday for allegedly tipping off far-right Jewish extremists that they were about to be arrested, the Israel Security Agency (ISA or Shin Bet) stated. 

Elad Sela, a resident of Bat Ayin between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, was arrested on March 10 and charged with "aggravated espionage." 

Sela has confessed to passing on "classified and sensitive documents to rightist extremists for ideological motives", the agency said.

It said Bat Ayin had for years been a hotbed of extremists involved in "acts of violence against security forces as well as Palestinians and their property."

The reference was likely to several so-called "price tag" attacks as well as "Jewish terror group" the Bat Ayin Underground, which attempted to counter the Second Intifada (Arab terror against Israel, 2001-2004 - ed.) with attacks of its own. 

Precedent-setting?

Legal Rights attorney Adi Kedar from Honenu spoke about the case to Arutz Sheva on Monday shortly after the arrest was announced. 

"In general I think there's an indictment here that has a black flag over it, which is a problem," Keidar stated, adding that the arrest formally defines so-called "hilltop youth," or Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria, as enemies of the State of Israel. 

Keidar hoped that the case would not be blown out of proportion.

"I think someone very specific at the highest level made a very problematic and controversial decision here, and I hope study of the evidence will help me to refute this claim," he said, calling on the prosecution to view the case in its own context. 

Keidar maintained that Sela revealing state secrets was, however, breaking the law - no matter to whom he revealed them - but opined that it did not go as far as pose a legitimate threat to Israeli national security. 

"I think this is speculation and interpretation, and the defendant himself as he read the interpretive part of the indictment was amazed to see these things," he said.

AFP contributed to this report