Slippery Slope

The GSS uses an interrogation method in which the interrogated person is denied sleep, while being supplied with coffee, despite a past court ruling which stated that a person cannot be convicted based on information obtained using such methods. (Haaretz)

(Hebrew – Haaretz)

A military judge acquitted a Palestinian accused of abetting manslaughter and abetting attempted manslaughter.  The judge, Lt. Col. Ronen Atzmon, criticized the GSS (Shin Bet) for not documenting the fact that the accused fell asleep several times during his interrogation.  According to the defendant, Salem Rajoub, the interrogation so exhausted him that he was prepared to tell his interrogators anything they wanted. (Haaretz)

(Hebrew – Haaretz)

A former General Security Service employee and former police officer, as well as an attorney, were arrested on suspicion that they used their influence and security clearance in order to smuggle people with travel restrictions out of the country in return for money.

(Hebrew – Haaretz)

WikiLeaks documents reveal that the head of the General Security Service (Shabak or Shin-Bet), Yuval Diskin, is concerned about the people who give Israeli Arabs “bad ideas”, and believes they “abuse their rights”.

The Israeli Supreme Court has denied a motion filed by the Yesh Din association, against the GSS (Shabak) and the Prime Minister’s Office, asking for information about the scope of the denial of contact between detainee and his attorney. The judges accepted the stat’s position that this could endanger state security “the detailed explanation by the competent persons on behalf of the respondents have persuaded me that granting the motion, be it broadly or in a narrow measure, could open a window that would eventually and unintentionally aid hostile elements who desire to damage the state,” wrote Justice Neal Hקndel. (Hebrew)

In its review of 2010 the GSS (Shabak) defines the activism by left-wingers in Sheikh Jarrah, Ni’lin, Bil’in, and Nabi Salah as “activity against the Israel security forces.” (Hebrew)

Matan Cohen, a BDS movement activist, was detained by Israels Security Agency (GSS, Shabak) when returning to Israel. The GSS people who detained him searched his belongings and informed him that he is suspected of “hostile terrorist activity.” (English)

The Knesset passed a bill into law, allowing the GSS to prolong the detaining of people suspected of security offenses without the presence of the detainee or his attorney. The law allows the prolonging of the detaining in cases of danger to life. 18 MKs voted in favor and five against. (Hebrew)

The cellular and phone companies would be obligated to provide infrastructure work relating to the security of the country and public peace for the GSS, Mossad, IDF and police; this is part of the Omnibus Bill presented to the Knesset. People familiar with the controversial legislation wondered yesterday why this particular article was brought before of the Security and Foreign Relations committee. “It’s a very good question, why this debate takes place in the Security and Foreign Relations committee, and not the Financial Committee”, said those people, “perhaps it is because there is a greater chance this article will be approved in it. The Security and Foreign Relations committee is less influenced by the lobby of the cellular companies, and much more by the demands of the security system”. (Hebrew)

Two Israeli left-wing activists who participate regularly in demonstrations against the Separation Wall in the Occupied West Bank were summoned for a conversation with “Rona” of the Shabak (GSS/General Security Service). The two activists are members of Anarchists Against the Wall. Several months ago, left wing activist Yonatan Shapiro was summoned for an informal interrogation by the Shabak, and was interrogated by a woman who also introduced herself as “Rona”. (English)