Israeli Supreme Court Allows State Attorney to Lead Probe into Military Prosecutor Leak Case

The Israeli Supreme Court rejected a petition on Wednesday that sought to prevent State Attorney Amit Isman from handling the investigation into the leak of a video related to the Shde Teiman case. The petition also requested that Justice Minister Yariv Levin appoint an external overseer for the probe, which centers on the involvement of former Chief Military Prosecutor Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi. Supreme Court President Isaac Amit and Judge Khaled Kabub ruled there was no reason to intervene in the updated legal opinion by the Ministry of Justice's legal advisor, Yael Kotik, which stated that Isman’s conflict of interest had been removed. Judge David Mintz dissented.

The petition followed a March update confirming that although the Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara remained conflicted, Isman was no longer barred from the case after police concluded their investigation found no evidence implicating parties outside the military prosecution. President Amit criticized the Justice Minister for delaying the appointment of an external supervisor as previously ordered by the court and said the minister could not now use this failure to challenge the investigation’s results. He emphasized that the ruling was not intended to allow the minister to exert pressure on a criminal investigation.

Judge Kabub supported Amit, noting the key factor was the legal advisor’s opinion, which the court generally does not override without compelling evidence. Mintz argued that Isman’s conflict should not have been lifted without first appointing an external overseer to ensure the investigation’s integrity. All three judges unanimously rejected the petitioners’ demand for further police investigative actions.

The Shde Teiman case began with allegations of severe abuse of a Palestinian detainee at a southern military prison, leading to arrests of reserve soldiers and public uproar. Although indictments against five soldiers were later dropped due to evidentiary challenges, the case intensified after a security camera video was leaked to the media. The leak investigation focused on whether military prosecution officials were involved. In October 2025, the military launched a criminal probe into the leak, and the then-Chief Military Prosecutor resigned after admitting she authorized the video’s release to counter what she described as "false propaganda" against military law enforcement.

President Amit also dismissed claims of a cover-up, stating there was no basis to suspect the Attorney General or State Attorney in the matter.