Netanyahu aide Tzachi Braverman detained in probe of leaked military document

Israeli police detained Tzachi Braverman, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief of staff, on Sunday for questioning on suspicion of obstructing an investigation into the leak of a classified military document. Police said Mr. Braverman was interviewed by a unit that investigates major national crimes and corruption; investigators searched his home and seized his phone.

The leak involved a handwritten document obtained from Gaza that was published by the German newspaper Bild and has been tied to accusations that some of Mr. Netanyahu’s aides sought to influence public opinion about a Gaza cease-fire and a hostage release deal. The summons followed public statements by Eliezer Feldstein, a former Netanyahu spokesman who has been charged in the case, who said in a television interview that Mr.

Braverman told him in 2024 he could “shut it down.” Mr. Braverman and the prime minister’s office have accused Mr. Feldstein of lying. Mr. Braverman, who was recently appointed to be Israel’s next ambassador to Britain, has also been questioned previously in a separate probe into alleged alterations to official records about Oct.

7, 2023. The prime minister’s office did not immediately comment on the questioning. The opposition leader, Yair Lapid, called for Mr. Braverman’s ambassadorial appointment to be suspended, while Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the police inquiry was at a preliminary stage and that suspension would be inconsistent with the right to a fair trial.

Key Topics

Politics, Tzachi Braverman, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Eliezer Feldstein, Classified Military Document