Former Prime Minister's spokesperson Eli Feldstein has been charged with passing classified information with intent to harm state security, a charge carrying a potential life sentence. The prosecution's aggressive stance has sparked intense debate among Israeli journalists and officials.
Although there are many objections from all directions, including the police, the Attorney General is going all the way when it comes to prosecuting Feldstein, with many journalists saying that these charges as excessive:
Amit Segal reports the prosecution is "going all in" despite police criticism. Yaron Abraham says that he hopes that "the prosecution has solid evidence, because this smells bad," while Amir Ettinger questions "the prosecution's exaggeration."
Menachem Koldetsky said, "The prosecution has slipped on a banana peel and will pay a price for going one step too far. Reform is closer than ever. It's time for a revolution. It's time for the right to take to the streets. There's no point in continuing the war with such a corrupt judicial system that tangibly harms the state's soft underbelly."
"The pace of events in Israel has become almost cruel," notes political analyst Abraham Freund. "While everyone focuses on The Hague, we're overlooking the implications of prosecuting a senior official and a reservist on charges that carry life sentences."
According to Amit Segal: "Based on Feldstein's indictment, it's clear that Netanyahu's office was deeply entangled in the document scandal. Their previous denials now appear to range from naive to outright deceptive.
Feldstein comes across as an overzealous employee, eager to please and willing to cross legal boundaries to do so.
However, the leap from this to treating him like a terrorist - detaining him until trial's end and potentially facing life imprisonment - seems grossly disproportionate. The severity of the response appears to be on an entirely different scale from the alleged offense."
National Security Minister Ben-Gvir responded to both the ICC warrants and Feldstein case by calling for full sovereignty over Judea and Samaria and cutting ties with the Palestinian Authority.
The timing of both the Feldstein indictment and ICC warrants has led some to question which poses a greater threat to Israel's security.
Several commentators suggest these legal moves represent a significant escalation in Israel's internal and external legal challenges during wartime.
