The secret trial of an Israeli intelligence officer accused of spying for Syria has been confirmed by Israel’s police minister, according to American press reports this weekend. The New York-based Hebrew weekly, Israel Shelanu, published the first reports of the trial in Haifa’s district court last Thursday and Israeli papers have since picked up the story quoting Israel Shelanu.
The Haifa court has imposed a strict ban on the publication of any information about the proceedings. But the reports that quoted the American press have cleared the Israeli censor.
Israel Shelanu reported that the trial began behind closed doors two to three weeks ago and is nearing closing arguments now. It is not clear if the major was a career officer or a reserve officer in the intelligence.
The IDF intelligence reportedly identified the accused officer after capturing a cell of terrorists in south Lebanon. The terrorists disclosed the officer’s name and said they heard his name from Syrian intelligence officers who trained them.
Lawyers for the man, whose name has not been disclosed, are claiming that he is fatigued and mentally unstable. In the past, the officer has had close ties to leftist groups inside Israel, the report said. His father was a well-known senior officer in the Israeli border police who is now retired, according to Israel Shelanu.
The officer is the only Jewish Israeli citizen accused of spying for an enemy country since the December 1972 conviction of Udi Adiv. Adiv, a Kibbutznik from Gan Shmuel, was convicted of espionage for Syria in the Haifa district court. He received a 17-year prison sentence as leader of the group of three Arabs and four other Jews. A year ago, the court granted Adiv parole with a little more than four years of his sentence left to serve.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
