Former Shin Bet Chief's Knesset Candidacy Challenged Over Torture Allegations

A formal request has been submitted to the Central Elections Committee demanding the disqualification of former Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen from running for the Knesset. Cohen is a candidate on the "Yisrael" party list, led by Gadi Eisenkot.

The petition was filed by attorney Zehava Gur on behalf of the "Justice for Amiram" committee. They argue that Cohen's candidacy violates the character of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state due to his alleged involvement in torture during his tenure.

The petitioners claim Cohen systematically circumvented a Supreme Court ruling prohibiting torture. They allege he transformed the "necessity defense," intended for extreme "ticking bomb" scenarios, into a pre-planned justification for interrogators, effectively granting them immunity. The petition details a meeting Cohen allegedly held with top Justice Ministry officials, including the Attorney General and State Prosecutor, to legitimize the use of physical means against a minor and against Amiram Ben-Oli'el, asserting that the "ticking bomb" claim was a false pretense to extract a confession about a past event.

Furthermore, the petition asserts that under Cohen's command, false reports were submitted to courts, including a denial of physical abuse that the state later admitted was untrue. It also claims interrogation and reconstruction processes were obstructed. To demonstrate this was a systemic issue, the petition cites the cases of Ashraf Salaima and Khalil Namri from Eilat, who were wrongly arrested, subjected to violent interrogations for false confessions, and later fully acquitted.

Attorney Gur concluded that Cohen's actions constitute a severe breach of public integrity and the duty of honesty required of an elected official. She stated that the factual basis indicates an extreme abuse of governmental power, misleading the Justice Ministry with false "ticking bomb" scenarios, presenting untrue realities to courts, and employing improper methods to obtain false confessions through torture. Gur argued that the individual who led this flawed institutional conduct lacks the moral integrity and fitness required of a member of Israel's legislature.