If I had told you yesterday Anat Kamm’s story, I might have been arrested.
A gag order on the case has prevented journalists from reporting it. The media ban was lifted today.
Anat Kamm is a 23-year-old journalist charged with espionage for allegedly taking more than 2,000 documents while completing her required military service—700 pages of top secret, classified documents according to the Shin Bet, Israel’s secret service.
She was doing her military duty in Israel’s Defense Forces Central Command. She’s been under house arrest for the past four months.
Here’s what no one is talking about in this case:
The documents are reported to have exposed that senior members of Israel’s military disobeyed Supreme Court guidelines and launched targeted assassinations against Palestinian militants. Assassinations are not illegal, but they’re not supposed to happen if it is possible to arrest the militants.
It’s likely Kamm passed on these documents to expose what she believed was the military’s misuse of power.
She’s being charged with espionage–but she didn’t pass off these documents to Hamas or Hezbollah. According to the court order, she gave them to Haaretz newspaper journalist Uri Blau, who reported on the matter. He’s now believed to be in London. If he returns to Israel he could face arrest and prosecution. Haaretz is trying to negotiate his return to Israel.
As for Kamm, she will continue to remain under house arrest until further notice.