"We did not spy on civilians": when the deputy head of the Investigations Division denied the NSO storm

The police commissioner called this morning to set up a commission of inquiry after Calcalist was exposed, according to which the police hung the Pegasus spyware on the phones of senior officials, only a few weeks after a senior member of the organization denied the allegations. Yoav Telem.

Listen to the interview and denial

Walla!

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07/02/2022

Monday, 07 February 2022, 17:15 Updated: 17:17

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In the video: Herzog: The law enforcement system can not overlap with law enforcement (GPO)

The law enforcement system is in turmoil after Calcalist was exposed, according to which the police hung NSO's Pegasus spyware on the telephones of many senior officials, including former Finance Ministry CEOs Keren Turner and Shai Babad, businessman Rami Levy, former Walla! CEO Ilan Yeshua and former editor Aviram Elad, the son of former Prime Minister Avner Netanyahu, as well as journalists from the Walla

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However, just last month, Lt. Gen. Yoav Telem, the deputy head of the police intelligence and investigations division, denied allegations that police used Pegasus software to hack into the phones of unsupervised and unruly civilians.

"I am very curious to know who is behind this thing and what it is based on," Telem said in an interview with 103FM, and clarified: "The Israeli police do not spy on civilians, they enforce the law and fight crime and criminals."

More on Walla!

President Herzog on wiretapping affair: "Law enforcement system can not overlap with law enforcement"

To the full article

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"The Israel Police does not spy on civilians", Lt. Col. Telem (Photo: Reuven Castro)

He added: "I am also a citizen, I do not want to live in a country where police spy on citizens when there is no suspicion of committing an offense, when there is no authority under the law, when there is no judicial review and required command oversight, these are not Israeli police agendas."

He said, "These statements about activity, espionage, intelligence, against orders, against the law - it is simply not true. The attempt as a result of this investigation to identify the Israel Police as an intelligence body that spies on citizens, gathering information - is simply an unsuccessful attempt in my eyes."

Asked to set up a commission of inquiry.

Saturn (Photo: Israel Police Spokeswoman)

Many politicians from the coalition and the opposition were sharply criticized this morning (Monday) following the investigation / President Yitzhak Herzog said: "This is not an easy day. "Those who enforce the law must take care of them lightly and severely, most of all. We must not lose our democracy. We must not lose our police. And certainly - we must not lose the public's trust in them. This requires a thorough and thorough examination."

The Commissioner of Police turned to the Minister of Internal Security to order the establishment of an external inspection committee headed by a judge: "In light of recent publications regarding the operation of technological systems in the Israel Police The issue in all its aspects in order to restore the public's trust in the Israel Police on the one hand and to regulate the use of technologies in the Israel Police on the other.

As long as the committee finds irregularities and failures, they will be dealt with in accordance with the law. "

Following the publications, the journalists' organization demanded the opening of a state commission of inquiry." This morning it was revealed that the Israeli democratic regime was disgraced.

The Israel Police uses spyware to remotely hack into the phones of journalists and their sources, public figures and Israeli citizens without search or wiretapping orders.

"Freedom of the press and journalistic confidentiality are key building blocks in the wall that protects a democratic regime and their status is firmly entrenched in Israeli law. "Only a state commission of inquiry has the authority to summon witnesses and interrogate all those involved."

About a month ago, the journalists' organization contacted the Attorney General demanding that he intervene and check whether journalists were being monitored.

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