18 thoughts on “Shin Bet Secretly Detains Reporter for Leaking Top-Secret IDF Memos – Tikun Olam תיקון עולם إصلاح العالم
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  1. the S.B is the general security service of Israel and is not under army or defense office, but reports directly
    to the PM.
    The silence in Israel is a result of a court order. Like in other countries, people have to obey the law,
    even the blue blooded journalists.
    The lady in question broke the law. You break-you pay regardless of your so called high moral excuses for doing it.

    1. You say she broke the law. But then so did the shin-bet. Why are you putting the onus on one law=breaker and not the other.

      To me, this looks like “the law” you are talking about is more like “the law of the mafia” which has its ways of enforcing silence. The difference between a mafia-run entity and a real country is that the law of real countries has a built-in nuance, ie, it applies – conditionally – and is always subject to legal challenges.

      Kam’s case is a clear-cut whistle-blower situation where the question is one of the greater good – in this case supported by the supreme court – vs one of a possibly rogue agency of the state – the shin-bet in this case. Kam was 100% in the right bringing out violation of the law exposing mafia-like behavior by an arm of the government that held itself above the law. Sure, the shin bet, being mafia-like will come down on her with a two-by-four because that’s what a mafia does. An agency committed to broad daylight assassinations without recourse to law, will not refrain from slamming those who expose the thuggish behavior, and will most certainly attempt to impose silence.

      However, as Richard says – not all of us live in a police state, and therefore we – who do not uphold the law of the jungle to which the shin bet apparently subscribes, have every right, and indeed an obligation to spread the entire story far and wide, in its full sordid detail.

      Unfortunately, just like when the mafiosi were caught and tried, it’d take a technicality to bring the israeli perpetrators of the “code of silence” to justice. In the meantime, let’s out them as fast a furiously as we can.

  2. A few remarks: 1. The Shin Bet is not the military intelligence, but the internal state security agency, like the FBI. The military intelligence is completely different thing. It's a unit of the army – far bigger than the Shin Bet and Mossad, which collect s information about Israel's enemy armies. It has nothing to do with israeli citizens. 2. The linkage being done here by the author between the arrest of the lady and the fact she is a reporter – as if that was the reason for the arrest or that someone is trying to keep her silence, is a false. The lady was arrested beacuse what she allegedly done during the years she was a soldier in the military intteliigence – much before she became a reporter.

    1. I know the diff. bet. the Shin Bet & military intelligence & you've read my post rather sloppily if you come away w. that impression. She is being investigated by the Shin Bet as I understand. I wasn't aware that military intelligence has an investigative arm for those who violate IDF secrets. If I'm wrong someone can correct me.

      You & I both know that the IDF is angry at Kam & Haaretz for publishing this story & a good deal of the Shin Bet's motivation is to punish her for embarrassing the IDF publicly & revealing it flouts Israeli Supreme Court rulings.

      1. Richard1052,

        Too much Hollywood movies syndrome, and probably an overdose of ficiotnal books about Mossad and SHIN BET (the name is SHABAK).
        In Israel we say : “Hey man, you live in a movie !” to somone who has lost it.
        in which we basically mean: wake up, get off the matrix you live in.

        The IDF and SB is angry at Kam? WOW.
        If they were really angry about her, like, say, they were MAD about Vanunu, Ms. Kam would have been disapear completely off the media and Internet. She would have stand a trial, and sent to at least 10 years in jail.
        The fact that she was arrested in her home, tells you everything. Would the FBI do the same in a similiar case?
        I’m sure that in US, on similiar cirumenstences, Kam would be barried alive, like Jonathan Pollard.
        Actually, the system treated Kam very gently and nicely. They were too much nice with her.

        1. Spoken like a man who has something to hide or can’t face up to what’s been uncovered before his own eyes (which are closed naturally).

          If they were really angry about her, like, say, they were MAD about Vanunu, Ms. Kam would have been disapear completely off the media and Internet.

          Spoken like someone who seems to believe the Shin Bet has unlimited powers, which it doesn’t–yet.

          She would have stand a trial, and sent to at least 10 years in jail.

          She might still have to spend significant time in jail.

          The fact that she was arrested in her home

          How is it that I, who live in the U.S. know more about this case than you, the Israeli? She was arrested & put in prison for at least a month. Only after that was she removed to house arrest.

          Would the FBI do the same in a similiar case?

          You’re seriously arguing that the Shin Bet is treating her likes she’s resident in a country club because she’s under secret house arrest?

          Kam would be barried alive, like Jonathan Pollard.

          Ah, your right wing view become apparent as Pollard is patron saint of the Israeli right. The only problem w. the analogy is that Pollard stole actual military secrets of the U.S. government & gave them to Israel. Kam stole documents which revealed blatant IDF illegality, even criminality. Oh & btw, Pollard was “buried alive??” You mean because he received a long sentence for his crimes? Boo-hoo. I cry for him every day.

          Actually, the system treated Kam very gently and nicely.

          Lord, what horses(&t!

    2. Doron, what kam did is to act as a whistle-blower, probably on account of conscience, once she came across wrong-doing by the agency that employed here. These kind of dilemmas happens all the time to people who work for governments and corporations. The question is what are the individuals greater responsibilities – to the law of the land – and to their conscience – or to the agency that’s gone rogue and is in violation of the higher law.

      So I see this differently than a simple case of “journalistic freedom” but rather as a case of “individual responsibility”. It’s a bit like the agent’s story in the wonderful movie “The Lives of others” about the stasi secret police and one individual’s very personal decision to take a stand.

      In kam’s case the israeli version of the stasi will no doubt penalize her severely to set an example to others. But what she disclosed is the wanton destruction of life by an agency that regards itself as not subject to law. In so doing, she has acted in the name of the victims whose lives were forfeit without the benefit of a court of law.

      Some day, it’ll be thanks to people like kam – even though she’ll be silence – that Israel will retain any semblance of goodness, historically speaking. In the end, galileo has also relented and silenced hismself. But history has a way of rescuing individuals no matter how weakened they were in their day.

  3. Again, she is being investigated I presume by the Shin Bet since she is a civilian. The silence is the result of a gag order and military censorship. Oh, so "people have to obey the law" except the IDF which can flagrantly violate Supreme Court decisions??? If the IDF breaks the law as defined by the Supreme Court does IT have to pay?

    1. I know what happened to his son. Do you mean Mr. Feldman has no one else working in his office taking care of his client Anat Kam’s interests while he is distracted by his son’s troubles? Do you mean to tell me that Anat Kam isn’t monitoring matters related to her case? Or her friends? None attempted to contact me. So I invite you to suggest to them that they do so.

  4. Richard, I think you are contributing to safeguarding this young woman’s well-being. I empathize with your agony over this story.

  5. Richard, I think you are doing 100% the right thing by advertising this case – both for the young lady in question, and for the issue at hand, which is the IDF’s violation of explicit court orders not to engage in outright assassination. making the plight of Kam known is the best thing that can be done for her – especially so as you are not subject to their military “gag orders” and neither are any of us outside the state that’s rapidly becoming more like Myanamar every day. There was probably pressure on the groups and individuals who contacted you to help israeli authorities silence the story – standard operating procedure. Not unlike Iranian police who forbade neda’s parents and firends from holding a memorial.

    This is very much like the cases of Chinese dissidents who are ‘disappeared” as you said. The one – and only – thing we can often do for them is to tell as loudly as we can, as neither they, not their friends are really at liberty to speak out – as long as they are Israeli citizens. I do hope your expose will create an echo – and will do my best to spread the story.

  6. Michael Oren from today’s NYTimes op-ed:

    “Because we share fundamental values — democracy, respect for individual rights and the rule of law — our friendship can sustain occasional disagreements, and remain unassailably solid.”

    1. You’re citing this as a (bad) joke, right? I sure hope so. I would suggest that Oren is constitutionally incapable of saying anything that corresponds with reality (or at least he seldom does). These kinds of proclamations are really self-satirical.

      Meaning and truth correspondence are not very important values to propagandists like Oren, they have a very different relationship with & attitude toward language, and concepts.

  7. השין בית כלב השמירה של הציונות פושעת המלחמה אינם שומרים על שום
    חוק אלא עסוקים בשמירה על הפרות החוק הציוניות.
    ברוכים תהיו על חשיפת פישעי הציונות הכוזרואשכנזית

    בחורבן הציונות ננוחם אינשאללה.

  8. Richard,

    I think the web buzz is taking the focus of this story.

    1. The girl is alleged in performing a felony, in which she was caught, will be sentenced, and most likely serve in jail for many years (if found guilty of course).

    2. The fact she is a journalist is irrelevant. in the time of the alleged crime she served her mandatory active duty in the IDF. Today she is entertainment reporter and she could have been working at Ralph’s or being a stripper for that matter. i know it makes great headline to say that a journalist have been arrested – but lets face it – the fact she is a journalist now has nothing to do with the alleged crimes.

    3. as for the gag – since she have not been trialed yet, and since prosecution is still working on her case – i do not see a problem with the gag considering a sensitive material for the prosecution should be collected. i can surely see a media exposure hurt evidence collection in matter of espionage – specially when her alleged partner in crime have reportedly fled for exile. if the gag is kept once she is prosecuted – then i do see damage for basic democracy freedoms. she still have the right to defend herself and if i understand right – indeed she already has a lawyer – which is probably the best anyone could get for such case.
    If a reporter got an inside information from the Pentagon that Ben Laden was found and will be attacked on May 1st’ – clearly a media exposure of such will ruin the plan.
    i am sure that you will agree with me that in such case a gag is required, and i am sure that you will agree with me that such a gag does not hurt the basics of democracy freedom.

    Ms Kam is not the victim here. the Sh B is doing his job, and i do want to remind you that the original story was published, although fact is that if it had been gagged – none of this story would ever been revealed.

    1. Thanks for yr presentation of the prosecution’s case. Quite a nice job you’ve done in representing the interests of the powerful…

      most likely serve in jail for many years

      That may be what you want, but not what she believes or hopes will happen.

      The fact she is a journalist is irrelevant.

      Again, this may be irrelevant to you, but that doesn’t mean it’s objectively irrelevant. Secretly arresting a reporter even for alleged crimes they may’ve committed before they became one is almost as problematic as secretly arresting one for alleged crimes committed while he/she was a reporter. There is a diff I admit, but not a huge one at least in the public consciousness.

      i can surely see a media exposure hurt evidence collection in matter of espionage

      Malarkey, the prosecution has all the documents she received. There is no evidence that is outstanding. They also have Blau’s computer.

      i can surely see a media exposure hurt evidence collection in matter of espionage

      That’s not remotely what happened in this case & you don’t need to make up hypotheticals because they’re irrelevant to what actually happened. Besides, we have Daniel Ellsberg & the Pentagon Papers & any number of other whistleblower operations which uncovered actual government illegality as Kam & Blau have done. As such they have done the Israeli people a great service if you believe in democracy & the rule of law, as the IDF apparently does not.

      Ms Kam is not the victim here

      No, Israeli democracy is…what, are you crazy? Of course she is.

  9. Hello.
    Were there any news on this so far? I believe there had to be some, although couldn’t find anything on this matter. Surprisingly, some sources I’ve been following have disappeared, like, couple of youtube videos and discussions along with them :S It now says they violated the terms of service…
    I would so much like to see the army held responsible for at least some of the crimes that it did… It will be sad, if this effort ends up nowhere…

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