IDF Reservists Lawsuit: $4.5M Claim Over Leaked Files

Reservists from IDF Force 100, together with the religious-Zionist legal advocacy organization Honenu, filed a lawsuit Monday seeking 18 million shekels (approximately $4.5 million) against multiple defendants. The suit names Israel's Military Advocate General's Corps (known by its Hebrew acronym Patzarit), the State Attorney's Office, the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division, and Channel 12 journalist Guy Peleg. Attorney Menashe Yado of Honenu submitted the legal action on behalf of the soldiers.

According to Honenu, the lawsuit stems from what the organization and the reservists characterize as baseless suspicions against the soldiers, a high-profile arrest, the leaking of investigation materials to the media, subsequent criminal proceedings, and the handling of the investigation into those leaks. The case centers on allegations that military and civilian law enforcement authorities mishandled the matter from its inception through its conclusion.

Attorney Menashe Yado, who filed the suit, stated: "This is a complex lawsuit against very powerful entities, including the former command echelon of the Military Advocate General's Corps and Channel 12 News, which is the strongest media body in Israel. They joined together in a severe assault on soldiers, and against the heads of law enforcement agencies who protect the Patzarit out of ideological identification and systemic closeness to it, while severely damaging the rule of law and the equality of individual rights vis-à-vis the law enforcement system."

The plaintiffs are seeking to hold the defendants liable for the full 18 million shekel amount. They argue that the harm to the soldiers extended beyond the initial suspicions and detention, continuing through the leak of investigation materials to the press and the subsequent management of both the criminal proceedings and the investigation into who leaked the materials.

Honenu emphasized that the lawsuit targets both individuals who served in the Military Advocate General's Corps and additional figures within the law enforcement system and media.

The case now moves forward to the next stage of legal proceedings, where defendants will be required to respond to the allegations raised by the reservists and Honenu.