Veteran Israeli Journalist Shocked by Intelligence Agencies' Swift Support for PM's Office

Veteran Israeli investigative journalist Raviv Drucker expressed unprecedented alarm over the swift public statements made by the Shin Bet and Mossad, supporting the Prime Minister's Office's position regarding a Channel 12 news report. Drucker, who has been in journalism for 33 years, stated he has never witnessed such a situation where intelligence agencies publicly backed the Prime Minister's Office so quickly after a dispute over censorship.

Drucker linked this incident to his own recent experience of being summoned for questioning over using a phone while driving. He described the speed of the intelligence agencies' responses as "frightening" and unprecedented in his career. He speculated that such coordination might involve direct requests from the Prime Minister's Office to the heads of the Shin Bet and Mossad, potentially even providing them with pre-approved statements to release.

He contrasted this with past practices, where he believes such requests would have been immediately rejected by the heads of these agencies. Drucker voiced deep concern that this precedent could embolden intelligence agencies to summon journalists for questioning over sensitive reporting in the future, potentially stifling independent and liberal journalism in Israel.

Drucker fears the cumulative effect of such actions will lead to a climate where media outlets and individual journalists become increasingly intimidated, hesitant to publish sensitive information. He questioned whether future media organizations would risk reporting on sensitive matters, given the potential repercussions from powerful agencies like the Shin Bet and Mossad, which conduct operations so sensitive that even a person's disappearance cannot be reported.