Anat Kam in court (file)
Anat Kam in court (file)Israel news photo: Flash 90

Anat Kam, who stole secret IDF documents during her army service, has reached a plea bargain that will see the state drop charges that she harmed Israeli security. The change in charges means Kam will no longer have to fear a sentence of life in prison.

The plea bargain will contain charges that Kam was illegally in possession of classified information, and that she passed it on to another party. Those charges carry a sentence of up to 15 years in jail.

Kam's attorneys plan to ask the court to let her off with community service or probation. She has been under house arrest for over a year.

During her service, Kam stole thousands of classified files from the office of then-head of Central Command General Yair Naveh. She passed them on to Uri Blau, a reporter for Haaretz. Blau published an article based on the documents.

When the crime was discovered Blau agreed to hand back the stolen files. However, after he turned over dozens of files, investigators realized that he was in possession of much more information than he had admitted to having. In the meantime, Blau had left the country. He returned in October after spending 10 months in Britain, returning only after his attorneys reached a deal with state prosecutors.

IDF sources say that if the information possessed by Kam and Blau had fallen into enemy hands, it would very likely have led to soldiers' deaths.