JERUSALEM: The Israeli military’s chief spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, has apologized for publicly criticizing a bill that would protect soldiers who disclose classified information to the prime minister.
Hagari, in a press conference on Wednesday, said the legal amendment considered by lawmakers was “dangerous for the army and the country’s security.”
The bill, which passed a preliminary reading in Israel’s parliament, aims to prevent the prosecution of soldiers or defense officials who disclose classified documents to the prime minister or the defense minister even if they do so without authorization.
Lawmakers and media outlets have dubbed it “Feldstein law,” after Eli Feldstein, a former aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who has been charged with harming state security by transferring classified information.
The bill was drawn up in response to a domestic scandal over the alleged leaking of confidential material to foreign media to benefit Netanyahu, over which Feldstein has been charged.
Hagari said the bill was “very dangerous because it could allow any subordinate member of the IDF (Israeli military) to steal intelligence on their own initiative.”
The spokesman, who hardly ever comments on domestic politics, added that the bill would “endanger people’s lives and the lives of soldiers.”
Hagari was swiftly reprimanded by Israeli military chief Herzi Halevi, and apologized in a message on social media site X.
“In my statement this evening in response to questions, I expressed myself in a manner that exceeded my authority as the spokesman for the army, and I have been reprimanded for that by the chief of staff,” he said.
“The State of Israel is a democratic country and the IDF is subordinate to the political leadership.”
Netanyahu welcomed Hagari’s reprimand, saying in a statement late Wednesday that “in a democratic country, the army must not intervene in political affairs and certainly not criticize legislation.”
Hagari has become a familiar face to many Israelis with his frequent televised press briefings since the October 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian group Hamas triggered war in the Gaza Strip.
He was previously reprimanded by the government in June after referring to the idea that Hamas could be eliminated in Gaza as “smoke and mirrors” in a televised interview.
Israel army spokesman regrets remarks on bill linked to ex-Netanyahu aide
https://arab.news/765cd
Israel army spokesman regrets remarks on bill linked to ex-Netanyahu aide
- Hagari said the legal amendment considered by lawmakers was “dangerous for the army and the country’s security“
- Hagari was swiftly reprimanded by Israeli military chief Herzi Halevi, and apologized in a message on social media site X
Lebanon approves release of former minister accused of corruption
- Salam is the only ex-minister to be arrested since the start of Lebanon’s economic crisis in 2019
- The official added that the bail was paid, with procedures ongoing to secure his release from prison
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s judiciary approved the release on bail of former economy minister Amin Salam on Tuesday after six months of detention over corruption linked to contracts deemed suspicious, a judicial official said.
Salam, who served in the cabinet of former prime minister Najib Mikati from 2021 to 2025, is the only ex-minister to be arrested since the start of Lebanon’s economic crisis in 2019.
The official, who requested anonymity, told AFP Lebanon’s judiciary “agreed to release former economy minister Amin Salam on bail of nine billion Lebanese pounds, equivalent to $100,000” and a travel ban.
The official added that the bail was paid, with procedures ongoing to secure his release from prison.
In June, another judicial official said Salam had been arrested in connection with alleged “falsification, embezzlement and suspicious contracts.”
Salam’s adviser Fadi Tamim was sentenced in 2023 to one year in prison for blackmail and personal enrichment at the expense of insurance companies.
The former minister’s brother Karim Salam was also arrested earlier this year in a “case of illicit enrichment, forgery and extortion of insurance companies,” committed “under cover of the minister himself,” the official said in June.
Many in Lebanon attribute the economic crisis to mismanagement and corruption that has plagued state institutions for decades.
President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who both took office this year, have vowed to make the fight against endemic corruption a priority, as part of the reforms demanded by international donors.
Both have vowed to uphold the independence of the judiciary and prevent interference in its work, in a country plagued by official impunity.
In September, former central bank governor Riad Salameh, who faces numerous accusations including embezzlement, money laundering and tax evasion, was released after being detained for over a year by paying a record bail of more than $14 million.
