Right-Wing Activist Elisha Yard Sues Shin Bet for Sharing Classified Personal Data with Journalist

Right-wing activist Elisha Yard has filed a lawsuit against the Shin Bet security service, demanding 150,000 shekels in damages. Yard alleges that Shin Bet provided journalist Ben Caspit with classified and personal information about him, knowing that it would be published. The lawsuit was submitted to the Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court through attorney Menashe Yado from the Honenu organization.

This legal action follows a previous case Yard brought against Caspit over defamatory publications, which resulted in Caspit being ordered in September 2025 to pay Yard 20,000 shekels for one defamatory article. The current lawsuit centers on correspondence revealed during that earlier case, showing that Caspit contacted Shin Bet to verify information before publishing. Yard claims Shin Bet confirmed or provided details about him, including that he was labeled a "Shin Bet informant" and allegedly held under administrative detention.

Yard further alleges that Shin Bet disclosed data from his criminal and police records, including information on 17 arrests, dates, and detention durations. The lawsuit argues that such disclosure violates the Criminal Records Law, which restricts access to this information to authorized entities, excluding journalists. Yard contends that Shin Bet was aware Caspit intended to publish the information, making the agency responsible for the harm caused by the publications.

Attorney Menashe Yado criticized Shin Bet's conduct, stating the agency should serve all citizens impartially and not facilitate political agendas or media shaming. Yard seeks 80,000 shekels for defamation and 70,000 for privacy violations, along with legal costs and attorney fees.