Radio Station and Reporter Ordered to Pay Former Bar Chief NIS 600,000

A district court judge in Lod has ordered the radio station Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) and its former investigative reporter, Hadas Steif, to pay NIS 600,000 to Efi Naveh, the former Chairman of the Israel Bar Association. The ruling comes seven and a half years after the mobile phone hacking affair began.

Naveh had sued Steif and the radio station over the illegal hacking of his encrypted mobile phones, the copying of their contents, and the use of private information obtained from them. The case originated when Naveh's encrypted phones were transferred to Steif. The journalist then approached the State Prosecutor's Office and received full immunity from prosecution in exchange for handing over the devices and their contents.

These materials led to a high-profile criminal investigation against Naveh at the time, but the case was eventually closed. During the civil trial, Steif's testimony was inconsistent. She maintained she did not hack the phones herself but received the material after it had already been extracted. When questioned by Naveh's lawyer about why she sought immunity if she committed no offense, Steif replied she feared harm and only later understood immunity meant no prosecution.

In its ruling, the court unequivocally stated that the use of materials obtained through criminal means and the severe violation of Naveh's privacy necessitate substantial financial compensation from the radio station and the reporter.