Ex-Shin Bet chief claims Netanyahu requested surveillance on ministers and senior officials

Former Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen revealed yesterday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested surveillance on ministers and senior officers during a sensitive security event due to fears of a leak.

In an interview with the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (Kan), Cohen was asked if wiretapping phone calls was involved, he confirmed it was, “among other things.”

Cohen cited this as an example of the lengths Netanyahu goes to in a national crisis. He warned: “If a group decides to protest, Netanyahu might approach the Shin Bet chief and request activation of the agency’s tools.”

The Shin Bet is Israel’s domestic intelligence service. Cohen led the agency from 2011 to 2016.

His remarks come amid mounting pressure on Netanyahu’s government over allegations of leaks of classified information that harm national security and the theft of sensitive data for foreign media, according to Hebrew news sites. Opposition members accuse Netanyahu of orchestrating the leaks to deflect criticism from his government and avoid accountability for failed efforts to secure a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.

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