The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs sharply criticized the Attorney General’s Office over its handling of the Sde Teiman affair. Minister Amichai Chikli argued that the leak sparked a global wave of antisemitism and placed IDF soldiers at risk of both legal and physical persecution.
The Ministry stated that the Attorney General’s claim that the leaked video from the Sde Teiman prison caused no harm to national security “directly contradicts the position of professional authorities and was made in haste.”
Chikli emphasized: “This reckless leak served as an international information weapon, fueling global antisemitism, undermining the legitimacy of the State of Israel, and placing IDF soldiers under the threat of legal and physical persecution.”
He attached to his petition to State Attorney Amit Aisman an expert opinion from Avi Cohen-Scali, Director General of the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, and demanded an update and response to the Supreme Court.
Cohen-Scali noted that “within the Ministry’s purview, the fight against antisemitism includes combating delegitimization of Israel and operating the national control and monitoring center for online antisemitism.”
The report highlighted that the video, which was found to have been edited, undermined support for Israel’s ongoing military operations, increased real threats to IDF soldiers, and caused a sharp rise in antisemitic discourse worldwide. Among the narratives circulated were comparisons of the prison to concentration camps, Guantanamo, and Abu Ghraib, accusations that the IDF is a “Nazi army,” and false claims of “rapes encouraged by rabbis.”
According to the report, these statements were viewed over 100 million times globally and became a central tool in coordinated antisemitic campaigns. “These findings demonstrate how the leak quickly became a weapon for Israel’s enemies, causing substantial damage to the national and international consciousness,” it said.
The report concluded: “This leak caused first-degree political, security, and awareness damage. Therefore, the State Attorney’s Office must regard such incidents as threats to national security, take them into account in its handling of the matter, and respond appropriately to their severity.”
Earlier, the Ministry of Justice informed the Supreme Court that it does not intend to investigate the leak of the video allegedly showing an assault on a Nukhba terrorist. The Ministry stated that the video caused no harm to national security and did not reveal classified information.
The document also noted that, with the consent of the Deputy Attorney General and relevant investigative authorities, it was decided that no further investigative measures could be taken to locate the leaker, and the matter was considered closed. The video had been used by anti-Israel actors for propaganda, claiming that its publication by Israeli media validated the terrorist’s claims.