The government of Israel adamantly denied claims that its security agencies, such as the Mossad, were in any way involved in promoting the recent wave of anti-government demonstrations. The demonstrations, which have blocked highways, were held in protest over the government’s controversial judicial reform plan.
The Office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement on the matter saying, “The report that was published overnight in the American press is mendacious and without any foundation whatsoever. The Mossad and its senior officials did not – and do not – encourage agency personnel to join the demonstrations against the government, political demonstrations or any political activity.”
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The Israeli government said the Mossad and its serving senior personnel have “not engaged in the issue of the demonstrations at all and are dedicated to the value of service to the state that has guided the Mossad since its founding.”
The allegations about the Mossad’s involvement in the demonstrations came as part of a block of leaked Pentagon files that were recently published. The leaked materials included a report a Central Intelligence Update from March 1 that said Mossad leadership “advocated for Mossad officials and Israeli citizens to protest against the new Israeli Government’s proposed judicial reforms, including several explicit calls to action that decried the Israeli Government.”
But the report only says that there were suggestions to do so, not that any actual involvement in the ant-government protests took place.
Massive protests have rocked Israel over the past few months, ever since Justice Minister Yariv Levin revealed the government’s plans to alter the nature of Israel’s judicial system. The government’s judicial reform plan would greatly curtail the power of Israel’s Supreme Court to nullify legislation passed by the Knesset and also limit the authority of Israel’s attorney general. The opposition charges this would harm Israel’s democracy, eroding foreign confidence in the country and hurting its economy. And this is why the country is now on the brink of what some are describing as the biggest societal clash in Israel’s history.
