Transcript of hearing appealing Hefetz gag order
להורדה: הפרוטוקול החסוי המלא מדיון בית המשפט בפרשת חפץ – סידקובסקי
I recently posted about a State witness in the Netanyahu corruption investigation, Nir Hefetz. Israeli police, in pressuring him to testify against his former boss, brought Hefetz’ mistress to the police station. It was a shot across the bow, conveying to him that the police would use every method at their disposal to compel his testimony; including exposing his infidelity (Hefetz is married and has children).
The Netanyahu camp had a field day with this news, bellowing that the police used impermissible abusive procedures to force Hefetz to cooperate. There was also an underlying subtext intended to smear Hefetz as a witness by revealing his breach of trust with his wife. In other words, Hefetz not only betrayed his wife, he betrayed the prime minister as well.
Keren Sidkovsky, Nir Hefetz’s mistress
Normally, most journalists don’t care about married men and their mistresses. But when it comes to a key witness who could seal the fate of an Israeli prime minister, all bets are off. That’s why I published the name and picture of Keren Sidkovsky. Almost every journalist in Israel knows this name. But the gag order prohibits them from reporting it.
Earlier today, three major Israeli newspapers (Haaretz, Globes and Israel HaYom) went to court again seeking to persuade the judge to end the gag order. After listening to arguments from attorneys for both sides and from Hefetz himself, the judge rejected the appeal and extended the gag. My reporting surfaced peripherally in the argument as a reason to end the gag.
I’ve been bemused by Israelis who condemn me for violating the privacy of a “poor young woman” who did nothing to deserve her 15 minutes of notoriety. On the contrary, she chose to commence an affair with the prime minister’s chief media advisor, who then became embroiled in one of the most notorious scandals in recent Israeli history. The police and Netanyahu’s camp made her part of the story. If you want to blame anyone, blame them.
Hefetz’s argument to the judge was unbelievably hypocritical: he rejected the argument that the horses had already escaped from the barn by claiming that his elderly parents in their 80s would receive a mortal blow if they learned this news. His poor mother taking heart medication might have a heart attack on learning that her dear-boy was fooling around with a 20-something model behind his wife’s back. Not to mention his valiant son, fighting in “the most exclusive of exclusive IDF units” to defend the homeland, who knew nothing of his dad’s peccadillos. While his son was “the tip of the spear” protecting the nation, his father’s blood was being spilled by this scandal, or so Hefetz claimed.
Perhaps Nir should have thought of those considerations before he commenced his affair with Sidkovsky. To raise them now solely to protect him from further infamy is the height of hypocrisy. It is shameful for a grown man to cower behind his elderly parents and son and exploit them in this manner, rather than face the foolish deeds he has done. He’s a bit like the son convicted of murdering his parents who begs mercy from the court because he’s now an orphan.
I am violating the gag order in publishing this post. Additionally, I’m violating it by publishing the full transcript of the judicial proceedings in today’s hearing.
How do you make the world a better place by publishing her name?
It doesn’t change the facts or shed light on the case, it just violate the privacy of a young woman who has no stake in the game beyond the fact she slept with a married man like many others.
@ Dina Schaiek:
You mean beyond the fact that she voluntarily chose to conduct an affair with a married man who was the PM’s media spin doctor, and who turned state’s witness in one of the most important corruption case in Israel’s political history? A case that could topple the PM? YOu left out a few key elements of the story…
Your argument for violating the gag order doesn’t hold water. It’s enough to know about the police tactics and make up your mind if they’re acceptable to you – there’s no need besides “yellow” reporting to provide a name and a picture. You disappoint me greatly.
@ Samuel Rabina:
I don’t know how I’ll ever survive your displeasure…
Why is it your business who is she sleeping with?
How you improve anything (beyond your fetish for breaking all Israeli gag orders) by revealing her name?
Is there is no gag order which you will considered justified?
Stop deflecting and think about what you are actually doing!
@ Dina Schaiek:
It isn’t “my” business. It’s your business and business of every Israeli. And that’s why i do it. You all should live in a society based on transparency, truth, and justice. Not lies, secrets, gag orders and censorship.
I think about what I am doing virtually every moment that I write this blog. Your problem is that I’m not thinking what you think I should be. And that’s deep remorse I will have to live with all my days.
I have never met an Israeli gag order I didn’t hate. There may be one that I would consider justified. But I haven’t heard of one yet.
Apparently twitter removed your twitt. I wonder why you don’t run blaming them for censorship. Actually I don’t. You know as well as I do, you are in the wrong here.
No one will defend you for exposing a name of a girl that was dragged into this sort of mess. The idea that everything has to be transparent is insane. Have you no personal info you woyuld like to keep hidden? not to mention secrets?
Exposing her name makes no difference whatsoever except for disturbing her life. NONE!
Oh, I forgot, you get a kick out of it. Apparently that is enough for you.
@Dina Schaiek:
No, it didn’t.
You are as dense as a bowling ball. I have no patience for this. No more comments in this thread from you.
I could care less whether you will defend me; or anyone will defend me. BTW, why don’t you shrey gevalt at the 3 major Israeli dailies who appealed for the gag to be lifted in the case?
No, it’s not. It’s actually the hallmark of democracy. The reason you believe as you do is that you don’t live in a democratic country.
Not really. Other than the time I peed in my first grade classroom. That was pretty embarrassing. But now you and whole world knows.
Why should anyone care about disturbing the life of a woman who became the mistress of a married man?
[I warned you not to comment again in the thread. You ignored me. The rule exists to prevent hasbaroids like you from monopolizing the comment thread and repeating arguments ad nauseam. You are now moderated and only comments which respect the rules will be published.]