After remaining silent this morning, Israel's Minister of Internal Security Omer Bar Lev has announced the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the use of Pegasus spyware by Israel Police.
Bar Lev added, "Amid growing evidence, it seems that the failures, if there were any, were under previous police commissioners, previous ministers of internal security, and previous governments. Citizens of Israel, I look you straight in the eye and make a commitment to you that the commission of inquiry will examine deep and wide all the allegations. On my shift these failures won't occur - the police is under my responsibility and my authority and I will ensure that if there was harm to democracy in previous years, I will uproot it and not allow this to happen."
Bar Lev's team have been searching for an eminent judge to lead the commission of inquiry and start to resolve this grave affair. When revelations about Israel Police use of Pegasus spyware were first revealed, Bar Lev was quick to say he had looked into the matter and there had been no impropriety. But as evidence mounted, Bar Lev became more circumspect and silent on the matter. He faced fierce criticism from his own Labor party for not quelling the criticism against him when the alleged misdemeanors took place during Netanyahu's government when Likud ministers were responsible for the police.
This morning "Calcalist" reported that NSO Group's Pegasus spyware had been used, without a judge's order, to breach the phones of former Ministry of Finance director generals Shai Babad and Keren Terner-Eyal, Ministry of Justice director general Emi Palmor mainly on suspicions that they were leaking information to journalists. Netanya mayor Miriam Feirberg, Mevaseret Zion mayor Yoram Shimon, Kiryat Ata Mayor Yaakov Peretz and Holon Mayor Moti Sasson were also targeted as well as businesspeople Rami Levy, former Bezeq CEO Stella Hendler and former Walla! CEO Ilan Yehoshua and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's son Avner Netanyahu, and many others including journalists and political protestors.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on February 7, 2022.
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