An anonymous Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) officer whose identity was exposed by Likud MK Tally Gotliv petitioned the High Court of Justice on Wednesday against the Knesset’s decision to grant her immunity from criminal prosecution, arguing that the vote was legally flawed, politically predetermined, and dangerous to Israel’s security services.
The petition was filed hours after the Knesset plenum approved Gotliv’s immunity request, blocking for now the filing of an indictment approved by Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara over Gotliv’s alleged disclosure and publication of confidential information in violation of the Shin Bet law.
The plenum approved both immunity arguments: 61-48 on Gotliv’s claim that her actions were part of her work as an MK, and 62-48 on her claim that the indictment was submitted in bad faith or through discrimination.
The petition asks the court to cancel the committee’s Monday recommendation to grant Gotliv immunity from criminal prosecution, made after three hearings, as well as the plenum’s Wednesday decision approving it.
Gotliv tied Shin Bet agent to false conspiracy theories
The petitioner, whose identity is classified by law, served for more than two decades as a Shin Bet employee and officer, according to the petition. It said Gotliv repeatedly published his classified identity beginning in January 2024, while tying him to false conspiracy theories surrounding the October 7 massacre and anti-government protest leader Shikma Bressler.
According to the petition, the security establishment and law enforcement authorities found that the publication endangered the petitioner and his family, harmed the operational freedom of Shin Bet employees, and damaged the protection of sensitive classified information held by Shin Bet personnel.
The petition said the Knesset’s decision sends a message to members of the security and intelligence services that their lives and the lives of their families “are abandoned” when exposure serves a political interest.
In a statement on behalf of the petitioner and his attorney, Idan Seger, they said the Knesset had turned immunity into a shelter for a security offense.
“In its decision to grant procedural immunity to someone who exposed the name of a service officer, the Knesset is signaling to all members of the secret security services that they should expect their lives to become fair game for a momentary political interest,” Seger said.
Gotliv has not denied exposing the officer’s identity. During the committee hearings, she argued that her actions were protected by parliamentary immunity and were carried out as part of her duty as an elected official. She also repeated claims of “betrayal” surrounding October 7, allegations that were rejected by security bodies and later by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Gotliv’s actions created a severe security risk, said AG
Baharav-Miara told the House Committee during its hearings that Gotliv’s actions created a severe security risk during wartime. She also presented committee members with a highly classified Shin Bet opinion. Channel 13 reported that MKs who viewed the opinion said it warned that Gotliv’s actions endangered the life of the officer and his family.
The House Committee approved Gotliv’s request on Monday after three days of hearings, with 11 coalition MKs voting in favor and three opposition MKs voting against. Opposition lawmakers accused committee chairman Ofir Katz of allowing the proceeding to become a political forum rather than a quasi-judicial immunity process.
Before the plenum vote, Likud MK Yuli Edelstein said he would not support Gotliv’s immunity, warning that the precedent could later protect lawmakers who expose Mossad or Shin Bet personnel for ideological reasons.
Gotliv, speaking before the vote, accused the attorney-general of trying to harm the right-wing government and “whitewash” the Shin Bet leadership’s role in the failures of October 7. Katz defended the committee process, saying it had held three long and thorough hearings and had heard both Gotliv’s position and the attorney-general’s position.
The decision drew sharp criticism from opposition figures.
Democratic chairman Yair Golan called the vote “a disgrace” and said the Knesset, which he said should symbolize the rule of law and public trust, had become “a city of refuge for associates and offenders.”
Former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, head of the Yashar faction, said a reality in which elected officials endanger Israel’s security and then use immunity as a refuge from the law was “a spit in the face” of security personnel, including coalition voters serving in the defense establishment.
Former Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen, who joined Eisenkot’s party, also opposed the immunity decision, saying that the intentional exposure of the details of an operational Shin Bet officer, while endangering his life, was irresponsible and unlawful.
The petition asks the court to hear the case urgently, before the Knesset summer recess, arguing that otherwise the matter could become theoretical and the immunity decision could become a completed fact.