Police open extortion probe into former Shin Bet chief Nadav Argaman after Netanyahu complaint
Israel Police has decided to summon former Shin Bet chief Nadav Argaman for questioning on suspicion of extortion by threats, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu filed a complaint over comments Argaman made in an interview. According to a police source, the investigation will be handled by the police investigations division.
Netanyahu submitted what he called an “extremely urgent complaint” on Friday, after Argaman spoke on Keshet News and said he could reveal what was said in their private, one-on-one meetings if he believed the prime minister was acting illegally. The complaint was sent directly to Police Commissioner Dani Levy, rather than filed through standard police channels, and said “all red lines” had been crossed.
In the letter, Netanyahu accused Argaman, the former head of Israel’s internal security service, of threatening and extorting a serving prime minister “in the ways and forms used by criminal organizations,” and likened him to a mafia boss. He argued the conduct was not just an ordinary criminal matter, but one that could rise to the level of security offenses and posed a threat to Israel’s democratic regime, the rule of law and democracy itself.
Argaman’s remarks came amid efforts to revive the judicial overhaul and the Qatar-Gate affair. He said he is keeping to himself what was said in his private meetings with the prime minister because he wants to preserve the importance and intimacy of the Shin Bet chief’s relationship with the prime minister. Still, he said he has “a lot of knowledge” and could use it, adding, “If I think that the State of Israel... or if I come to the conclusion that the prime minister decided to act against the law, there will be no choice, I will say everything I know and have restrained myself from saying until today.” Before Netanyahu went to the police commissioner, he also accused current Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar of “extortion by threats.” The Shin Bet rejected that charge, saying Bar is focused on security, hostage-release efforts and protecting democracy.
