Overview
- Israel's State Prosecutor and Attorney General notified Tzachi Braverman's lawyer that they are considering prosecution and will hold a pre-indictment hearing, a step announced on Tuesday that does not yet amount to an indictment.
- Prosecutors say the possible charges are fraud, breach of trust and obstruction of justice tied to allegations he tried to interfere with a covert probe into classified material leaked to Germany's Bild in 2024.
- According to the allegations, Braverman learned in October 2024 of the internal inquiry and met late at night with media adviser Eli Feldstein at the Kirya, where he read names including an IDF reservist and said he could 'extinguish' the probe.
- The leak case earlier produced arrests and an indictment of Feldstein and reservist Ari Rosenfeld, who are accused of passing highly classified, 'top secret' intelligence to Bild for publication.
- The development raises political and diplomatic questions because Braverman has been Netanyahu's chief of staff and was designated as Israel's ambassador to the U.K., and the hearing could affect senior appointments and oversight of intelligence agencies.