Attorney General Tells Knesset Committee to Reject Gotliv’s Immunity Request

As the Air Force strikes in Iran and millions of Israeli civilians take shelter, the Knesset is debating MK Tali Gotliv’s request for immunity. This morning, Monday, the attorney general told members of the Knesset Committee that “the indictment against Gotliv was filed based on professional, substantive discretion and in good faith,” and asked that her immunity request be rejected, since “none of the grounds for immunity apply to her.”

As noted, about three weeks ago, after Channel 13 reported that Defense Minister Israel Katz had signed the secrecy certificate, the attorney general announced her decision to file an indictment against MK Gotliv for the offense of disclosing and publishing classified information in violation of the Shin Bet Law, after she revealed that Shikma Bressler’s partner works in the service. Gotliv responded on her X account and wrote, “They do not intimidate me.”

According to the indictment, which was filed by the Central District Attorney’s Office with the Petah Tikva Magistrate’s Court, on January 24, 2024, Gotliv published a screenshot from the website “Adna Karnaval,” showing an article claiming that “Mossad chief Dadi Barnea received a message from the Americans, who intercepted conversations between Bressler’s husband from the Shin Bet and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, days before October 7.” Alongside the screenshot, which included the full name of a Shin Bet employee, MK Gotliv added her own caption, in which she claimed that “my sources are ironclad.”

The indictment claims that the publication received broad exposure of more than 400,000 views, and that on that same day the head of the Shin Bet filed a complaint against her over the security risks inherent in her actions, a complaint that was brought to her attention. Despite this, Gotliv did not remove the post, and even reiterated that she would continue in the future to expose classified information whenever she deemed it appropriate. The prosecution emphasized that the details of Shin Bet employees are classified by law in order to protect their personal safety, safeguard classified information, and preserve the organization’s covert operational capability for the security of the state, and noted that it may seek an actual prison sentence for the Knesset member if she is convicted.

“Thunderous applause for Miara,” Gotliv wrote after the announcement that she had been indicted, adding, “As I made clear in my opinion, I intended to persuade the Knesset members that revealing Bressler’s partner was done within the framework of, and for the purpose of, fulfilling my duties. As is well known, they do not intimidate me. The indictment has not yet been sent to me, but I trust Miara, and I will soon read it through one of her mouthpieces.”

Bressler responded to the attorney general’s decision to file the indictment, writing: “Tali Gotliv is not important. What matters is the security of the state, which is based, among other things, on the security of the force. For the sake of Israel’s security, it is good that an indictment was filed against her.”