Israeli Supreme Court Fines Movement for Quality Government Over Repeated Motion Against PM Advisor

The Israeli Supreme Court sharply criticized the Movement for Quality Government on Monday after it filed its ninth request to remove Jonathan Orich from the Prime Minister's Office, based solely on a dubious media report. The court, consisting of Deputy President Noam Sohlberg and Justices Alex Stein and Yechiel Kasher, rejected the motion and ordered the movement to pay legal costs.

The motion stemmed from a questionable article published in Israel Hayom, which cited an unnamed security source alleging that Prime Minister advisors leaked classified security information to Qatar, including details related to Egypt. Orich and Sharulik Einhorn denied these claims, calling them false. Other journalists familiar with the matter also criticized the report, stating it conflicted with available evidence and that the verification process was flawed.

The judges emphasized that the motion relied solely on media publications, noting the well-established legal principle that press reports alone do not constitute sufficient factual basis for court claims. They referenced a prior May ruling where Orich's attorney declared he had not accessed classified materials and would not do so in the future. The state also confirmed that, per Shin Bet guidelines, Orich is barred from sensitive areas within the Prime Minister's Office concerning state secrets.

The court condemned the Movement for Quality Government's repeated filings on the same issue, describing the persistent and largely unsubstantiated requests as problematic. For the first time in this case, the court imposed a 3,000 shekel fine on the movement, to be split between Orich and the state's respondents, expressing hope that such conduct would not recur.