Supreme Court of Israel declines to intervene in Sde Teiman probe

The Supreme Court of Israel has rejected a petition seeking to intervene in the management of the investigation into the leak of footage from the Sde Teiman facility. A three-judge panel—Yitzhak Amit, David Minetz, and Khaled Kabub—ruled unanimously that the court should not act as a “investigating judge” or replace the professional discretion of law enforcement agencies regarding specific investigative directions.

The majority opinion, authored by Amit and Kabub, determined that the State Attorney is no longer barred from overseeing the investigation. This follows updated legal opinions suggesting that the State Attorney was not involved in the relevant incidents and was not required to testify. The court also declined to grant the Minister of Justice additional time to appoint an external supervisor, expressing concern that allowing political figures to delay such appointments could grant them undue influence over the pace and conduct of investigations.

In a dissenting view, Judge David Minetz argued that the court should have partially granted the petition by requiring the Minister of Justice to explain the delay in appointing an independent supervisor, noting that previous rulings assumed such oversight was essential to the investigation's integrity.

Following the ruling, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich criticized Judge Yitzhak Amit, accusing the court and the prosecution of a “cover-up” regarding the Sde Teiman incident.