The state informed the Supreme Court on Thursday that a preliminary investigation is being conducted regarding the allegations against MK Gilad Kariv (Labor) for leaking a classified protocol from the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
According to the state, "Actions have begun to collect evidence, consultations have been held within the State Attorney's Office and the Israel Police, and various investigative actions have been taken, with additional actions expected as part of the examination."
However, the state emphasized that "a final decision regarding the opening of a criminal investigation has not yet been made."
A petition on the matter, filed by the Lavi organization through attorney Yitzhak Bam, is based on findings from the Knesset officer's investigation, which indicated that MK Kariv was the only one who reviewed the classified protocol in the days leading up to the publication of its contents in the media in December 2023.
The organization claims that these are serious offenses of espionage and unauthorized disclosure of classified information, which require an immediate criminal investigation. It also says that, despite the Knesset Speaker approaching the Attorney General on the matter, such an investigation has not yet been opened.
The Lavi organization argues that the offenses allegedly committed by Kariv are more serious than those attributed to Eli Feldstein and Ari Rosenfeld, in whose case the prosecution claimed a serious security threat, while in this case, the prosecution is delaying the process.
Attorney Yitzhak Bam, who represents the Lavi organization, stated: "The Knesset's oversight of the government through its committees is a fundamental element of parliamentary democracy. For this oversight to be effective, the Prime Minister and ministers must disclose sensitive security information to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, with the trust that committee members will not leak the information. Leaking the protocol of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee undermines this trust, undermines the possibility of conducting parliamentary oversight of the government's security actions, and harms Israeli democracy. Anyone who leaks classified protocols from the committee harms democracy, and anyone who harms democracy must be held accountable for it."
Bam added, "Kariv should be treated the same as Feldstein and Ari Rosenfeld, and the State Attorney's Office must enforce the law equally and open a criminal investigation against MK Gilad Kariv for leaking sensitive information during wartime."