Israeli Supreme Court Justice Temporarily Freezes Transfer of Military Prosecutor Case to State Attorney

Supreme Court Justice Daphne Barak-Erez has temporarily halted the transfer of the military prosecutor Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi case to State Attorney Amit Isman. The freeze was ordered "for caution only" and will remain until further notice, with Barak-Erez emphasizing that this decision does not indicate a position on the request for further hearing in the case.

The original petitioners, Knesset Member Avichai Boaron, the NGO "We Chose Life," and the Lavi organization, had requested an additional hearing following a ruling issued about two weeks ago. The case involves the investigation into the leak of security camera footage from the Shde-Tayman military facility to the media, allegations of a false affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court, and the cover-up of the leak investigation.

The criminal probe has focused on former military advocate general Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi and other officers in the military prosecution. In October 2025, Tomer-Yerushalmi informed the IDF Chief of Staff that she had authorized the leak and took responsibility before ending her role. The case has been contentious regarding who should oversee the investigation.

In November 2025, the Supreme Court ruled that senior officials from the State Attorney's Office or the Attorney General's Office should not supervise the investigation, recommending an external overseer instead. By March 2026, Justice Ministry legal adviser Yael Kotik found no obstacle to transferring the investigation materials to the State Attorney, assigning Amit Isman to handle the case and decide on indictments.

The petitioners opposed this transfer, citing conflicts of interest, and sought to appoint an external supervisor. The Supreme Court rejected their petition two weeks ago, allowing Isman to proceed, as the police investigation found no significant involvement by him. Following this ruling, the petitioners requested a rehearing, leading to Barak-Erez's current temporary freeze of the transfer pending further decision.