Rotman Slams Prosecutors and Opposition Over Attempt to Oust Tali Gottlieb

Knesset Constitution Committee chairman Simcha Rotman sharply attacked the prosecution and opposition lawmakers during a hearing on a petition to expel MK Tali Gottlieb after an indictment was filed against her. Rotman said the case exposed hypocrisy over leaks and secrecy, accusing opponents of being unconcerned with Shin Bet secrets, state security, or confidential information when they themselves want to leak material. He added, “Nobody will investigate you. Nobody will check you. Nobody will buy your bluff.”

Rotman argued that Gottlieb should be granted immunity even while acknowledging that her conduct was illegal and serious. “What she did is forbidden and grave. It is a criminal offense, there is no question. But immunity is required for a criminal offense,” he said.

He then described a separate leak he said occurred after a closed meeting on 29 October 2023, less than a month after the October 7 attacks. According to Rotman, Shin Bet representatives and Justice Ministry officials told him to leave his phone outside because the meeting was secret, and the discussion concerned a legislative proposal that was to be submitted to the committee.

Rotman said that after the meeting, a Justice Ministry employee sent a small-distribution email, and that email, “word for word,” allegedly reached journalist Guy Peleg. He said the employee complained that after 17 years in the ministry, she had never seen one of her emails go to the press, and he noted that the matter was never investigated.