Aharon Cohen, leading Mapam member, author and expert on Arab affairs, was informed today that the Government of Israel will prosecute him on charges of passing secret information to an agent of a “foreign state.” The information was conveyed to Mr. Cohen by the Haifa District Attorney. The case will be tried in Haifa District Court.
The particulars of the charge, as made public here, are that during the period from April to August 1958, the accused passed on “secret information without being entitled to do so to an agent of a foreign state.” The information was said to have been harried over at or near Shaar Haakim, Mr. Cohen’s home kibbutz.
The defendant has two weeks in which to apply for a preliminary court inquiry into the charges. If he fails to exercise this right the charge sheet is formally submitted to the District Court. The maximum penalty under the section of the law applying to this case is 15 years’ imprisonment.
Though most people in Israel are by now thoroughly aware of who is meant by the “foreign state” involved, the District Attorney’s statement does not name the country. It is understood that an effort will be made to avoid naming the country during the court proceedings.
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