Israeli Court Orders Radio Station, Journalist to Pay Former Bar Head $165,000

The Central District Court in Lod has ordered the radio station Galei Tzahal and its former correspondent Adas Steif to pay approximately 600,000 shekels (about $165,000) in compensation to Efi Nave, the former head of the Israel Bar Association. The court ruled on Monday, October 5, that Steif's actions, which included hacking Nave's mobile phone and using illegally obtained materials, were "deeply in the criminal sphere." Judge Oren Schwartz, who presided over Nave's civil lawsuit for invasion of privacy, stated that Steif was responsible for organizing the phone hacking to access information stored within.

The case originated from a "sex for appointments" scandal that began in January 2019. Nave was suspected of facilitating the appointment of Judge Eti Kraif to the Judges Selection Committee in exchange for sexual favors. He resigned as head of the Bar Association following the investigation. The investigation was initially triggered by materials Steif obtained from Nave's ex-wife's mobile phones.

In February 2019, Nave filed a 7 million shekel civil suit against Steif, journalists Razi Barkai, Nurit Kanti, and Ilil Shahar, radio station head Shimon Elkabetz, and Galei Tzahal. The lawsuit's proceedings were paused at the request of the Attorney General, who cited potential harm to the criminal investigation.

In December 2019, State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan announced intentions to indict Nave for bribery, fraud, and abuse of trust, and Kraif for bribery and evidence tampering. Steif was not prosecuted, though the prosecution acknowledged the severe damage to Nave's privacy. In March 2021, Deputy State Prosecutor Shlomo Lemberger closed the case against Nave and Kraif, largely due to the questionable methods used to obtain key evidence, specifically the alleged illegal phone hacking.

One month after the criminal case was dropped, Nave's civil lawsuit resumed. Steif maintained her innocence, claiming the phones were with Nave's ex-wife and that she did not hack or steal them but merely exposed corruption. She testified that she only handled the content, not the phones themselves. Separately, Steif sued Galei Tzahal and the Ministry of Defense for 500,000 shekels, alleging a lack of support regarding Nave's lawsuit, but her appeal was rejected by the National Labor Court. Steif departed Galei Tzahal in May 2024 after 35 years of service.