Supreme Court President Criticizes Shin Bet Chief's Demand for Petitioners' Names

Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit on Sunday criticized the insistence of Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief David Zini to reveal the identities of individuals who petitioned against his appointment. The criticism came during a hearing on Zini's request to declare the petitioners in contempt of court for refusing to disclose their names, citing fears of reprisal from Zini. Amit suggested Zini reconsider his demand, stating, "I am not sure it does him any good." Zini's attorney argued that petitioners should not be allowed to act with impunity and refuse to reveal their identities, but could not explain Zini's specific insistence on knowing who they were. The petitioners' lawyer, Eitan Peleg, explained their fear of retaliation and noted that no court order had been issued compelling them to reveal their names, thus they had not committed contempt. While a previous ruling granted Zini the right to view the names, it did not mandate their disclosure. Justices David Mintz and Noam Sohlberg expressed a differing view, asserting that a party has the right to know who is petitioning against them. Sohlberg recalled previously advising Zini not to insist on obtaining the list of names, believing his recommendation would be accepted. The Supreme Court justices will now decide whether the petitioners' refusal to disclose their names constitutes contempt of court.