PMO Chief of Staff main suspect in IDF officer blackmail case

Meanwhile, Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara has authorized investigative authorities to move forward with inquiries related to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF NOVEMBER 9, 2024 23:09 Updated: NOVEMBER 10, 2024 08:52

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU is keenly aware of history and attuned to his place in it. (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)

Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister, Tzachi Braverman, was named as the senior official involved in a suspected extortion case involving a high-ranking officer within the Military Secretariat, Israeli media reported on Sunday.

Sources close to the matter have voiced concerns that Braverman, along with members of the Prime Minister’s Office, may have accessed documentation and personal information about the officer, allegedly intending to leverage this data to influence government protocols, the reports stated.

Several months prior, a report was submitted to the Chief of Staff’s office, alleging that the Prime Minister’s Office held sensitive information regarding an IDF officer. This report, which was sent to Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, included serious claims that the Prime Minister’s Office possessed security camera footage and other personal documentation concerning the officer.

In response to the allegations, Braverman stated, “The serious claim that I hold documentation on any officer or attempted to blackmail anyone is false, as is the defamatory report by Michael Shemesh. This is a complete fabrication aimed at harming me and the Prime Minister’s Office amid a war.”

Meanwhile, Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara has authorized investigative authorities to move forward with inquiries related to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Initial reports that employees of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) were allegedly allowed to view sensitive documents during the war were reported by KAN News on Saturday.

The ongoing scandal from earlier this month has rocked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office with accusations of security mismanagement and deliberate manipulation of sensitive information.

The newest revelation - that employees were granted viewing access to classified information - came from footage obtained from the PMO security cameras, the KAN report said.

Sources familiar with the details told KAN that "internal distribution of the documentation raised fears of an attempt to extort the officer who worked with the PMO and possessed sensitive information."

One source told KAN that "the Prime Minister's Office behaved criminally; the members of the PMO should pay the price."

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Leaks allegations related to hostage deal 

Previous reports from KAN suggested that the classified information was selectively leaked to shape Israeli public perception regarding hostage negotiations with Hamas.

According to these allegations, one leaked document implied a complex Hamas plan to transfer hostages from Egypt to Iran. This narrative, purportedly intended to justify delays in negotiations, was later debunked, with some outlets retracting their stories.

The PMO responded earlier this month that the leaked document “never reached the Prime Minister’s Office from Military Intelligence, and the prime minister only learned about it from the media.”