Shin Bet Attempts to Recruit Anti-Government Protesters as Informants Ahead of Elections
In recent weeks, the Jewish Division of the Shin Bet has intensified efforts to recruit activists from protests against the Israeli government, offering rewards for information on right-wing individuals disrupting demonstrations. According to testimonies published by Haaretz, Shin Bet coordinators asked activists to provide details about planned protests and right-wing agitators to "calm the situation ahead of the elections." Some activists believe these recruitment attempts aimed at ongoing collaboration, with one stating, "Once you're in their pocket, it's over." At least eight such recruitment attempts occurred recently.
One activist from the "Changing Direction" movement, identified as N, recounted being approached by a Shin Bet operative named Noam, who offered luxury meals, money, gifts, and assistance in countering right-wing protesters. N refused, suspecting the operative wanted continuous information on both right-wing activists and the protests themselves. Several activists detained during recent protests reported being pressured to cooperate with Shin Bet coordinators, who requested real-time updates to "calm the area."
Data from the detainee support group "Otefet Aturim" indicates that in the past six months, Shin Bet made at least 20 approaches to protest activists during or after arrests. One activist described a call from a woman named Maya, claiming to be from the Prime Minister's Office, inviting him to participate in a "project for the state." After discovering similar recruitment attempts targeting other activists, he declined further contact.
Another activist, Boaz Levinstein, who frequently protests outside Education Minister Yoav Kisch's home, was also contacted by Maya and invited to meet at a police station. After consulting lawyers, he chose not to attend, ending the contact. Attorney Gonen Ben Yitzhak from Otefet Aturim linked this shift in Shin Bet's approach to the tenure of its current head, David Zini, noting a sharp increase in recruitment attempts since January. Ben Yitzhak criticized the practice as a misuse of state security resources to suppress legitimate civil protest, warning it threatens democratic rights. Shin Bet declined to comment on the report.
