Knesset votes to split controversial bill to erode power of attorney general

Group of army reservists accuse Channel 14 of regularly airing confidential info, harming national security

A lobby group of military reservists who served in the Gaza war has filed a complaint with police, the state attorney and the military censor against Channel 14, accusing the network of routinely harming national security by airing confidential information about military operations, and demanding an investigation.

The pro-government Channel 14 has become increasingly popular over the last five years. Critics say its pundits and anchors frequently engage in extreme, incendiary, and hyperbolic rhetoric against those perceived as hostile to the government.

The Swords of Iron Combatants Forum, led by Col. (res.) Hanoch Dauba, claims in its complaint that “for over two years, Channel 14 has been engaging in a systematic pattern of publishing sensitive security information, at times even before military operations are carried out, in violation of censorship regulations and criminal law.”

It alleges that this is “not a series of isolated errors, but an orderly system by which sensitive security information, at times highly classified, is used as a tool to generate ratings and public-political influence, while directly harming the national and security interests of the State of Israel.”

It further points to cases in which the military censorship asked for the removal of information, but said that in such instances, “Channel 14 and its employees employ methods of evasion, deliberate delay, and even re-publication of the information on the claim that it has become ‘public knowledge.’” It argues that “the cumulative consequences of this pattern are devastating. Exposure of security force locations in combat zones, exposure of classified intelligence systems, the leaking of operational plans based on the element of surprise — all of these are not only serious criminal offenses, but also harm the operational capabilities of the security forces.”

In a response, the network says: “The attempts by emissaries of Channel 12 to approach the state attorney in order to shut down Channel 14 will not succeed.

“The people of Israel remember well who harmed the fighters of Unit 100 and falsely accused them in the most serious blood libel in the history of the State of Israel,” it says, referring to Channel 12 being the first to air leaked footage of the alleged abuse of a Palestinian prisoner by guards at the Sde Teiman holding facility.

They also remember “who cooperated with the leak regarding the moment of the strike in Iran, thereby endangering our pilots and the state’s security,” it adds, referring to claims that Channel 12 was told of the strike ahead of time by unidentified figures, and therefore brought its anchors to the studio on the morning of February 28. The network did not broadcast any information on the attack prior to its start.