Ex-Netanyahu Aide Admits Altering Protocol, Police Say Evidence Mounts

Tzachi Braverman, the former head of staff to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, admitted during questioning that he changed the time on a protocol documenting a phone call between Netanyahu and his then-Military Secretary, Maj. Gen. (res.) Avi Gil, on the morning of October 7. This admission comes as a senior police official told Channel 12 News that investigators have compiled sufficient evidence to indict Braverman for forging the protocol. The investigation file has been with the State Prosecutor's Office for over a year, with no decision yet made.

The investigation, launched in November 2024 by the National Unit for Serious and International Crimes, involved collecting testimonies from dozens of individuals and seizing documents and computer files. These included the original computer file with the exact time and a modified version. Evidence also suggests Braverman requested the collection of protocols, corroborating Gil's account in a recent interview.

Despite the police concluding their investigation and forwarding the case to the prosecution with a strong evidentiary basis for charges, the State Prosecutor's Office has passed the matter to the Attorney General for a decision. More than a year has passed without a resolution, contradicting a statement from the Likud party following Gil's interview. The party claimed the case was investigated two years prior and recommended for closure due to lack of evidence.

In his interview, Gil, who woke Netanyahu on October 7, recounted how in late October 2023, he learned of an unusual collection of protocols and stenograms from the Prime Minister's office, contrary to regulations. He subsequently contacted the Attorney General to clarify rules regarding protocol access. Gil stated he was later informed by a stenographer that Braverman instructed her to alter the time of his October 7 call with Netanyahu from 6:40 AM to 6:29 AM, which Gil described as "a change of a stenogram. It's a change of the truth."

Gil had informed the Attorney General of the details at the time but requested no action be taken due to the ongoing war. He recommended that any future investigation committee examine original recordings, not just transcripts, and is unsure if other protocols were altered.