Isi Leibler..
Candidly Speaking From Jerusalem..
17 February '13..
As former head of the Australian Jewish community and now resident in Israel, I was bombarded over the past week with endless calls from the Israeli and global media soliciting comment on Ben Zygier, the Australian who committed suicide whilst in solitary confinement in an Israeli prison.
I declined to respond because I am not privy to secret information from the Mossad nor ASIO (the Australian Intelligence Agency) and I had nothing constructive to contribute.
Now, having had time to mull over the events and with the ebbing of the sensationalist media coverage of conspiratorial theories based on imaginary scenarios concocted by creative journalists, I feel more inclined to express a few observations.
At the outset, I feel impelled to state that although I consider that there was every justification to initially retain media silence on such a sensitive security issue, once the misleading exposé of the affair was released to the world by the Australian Broadcast Corporation (ABC), the continuing Israeli gag order was regrettable and counterproductive.
It would have been preferable for Israel to have responded immediately with a brief statement to the effect that there had been a security breach and that the accused had committed suicide whilst in prison. In all likelihood, this would have substantially staunched the flood of damaging speculation and hysteria which ensued, such as comparing Israel to Argentina in the 1970s, wild allegations of torture and even questioning whether Ben Zygier had been murdered.
By the time the authorities officially released details of the incident, it was too late because the distorted initial reports and the John le Carré like speculation in the global media had already caused enormous damage to Israel’s reputation.
In the light of media speculation relating to the suicide, there is now an obligation on the part of the Israeli government to release the findings of the judicial inquiry which had already taken place to ascertain whether the accused was under adequate supervision in the prison in which he was being held. We live in a democracy and are entitled to be reassured that if there was a breakdown or negligence on the part of the prison authorities, those responsible will be held to task and that every effort will be made to ensure that such a tragedy is averted in the future. On the other hand, it is a harsh reality that prisoners determined to end their lives usually succeed.
Whilst reiterating that I have absolutely no insight into the details of the charges against Zygier, there are grounds for concern that the Mossad should employ stricter criteria in their enlistment process, ensuring their recruits possess the necessary sophistication and psychological makeup required to engage in sensitive national security issues.
However, notwithstanding these reservations – and without relating to the guilt or otherwise of Ben Zygier – it must be stressed that on the basis of the limited information available, there is no evidence to suggest that either the State authorities or Mossad acted irresponsibly or breached the law. The rule of law applied throughout the entire proceedings. The hearings were carried out in camera due to security requirements, senior judges were involved, three lawyers were engaged in Zygier’s defense and he was allowed access to his family. That Zygier was being tried and held in custody under an assumed name was with his approval and that of his family. It was his tragic suicide that provoked the media frenzy and proliferation of wild conspiracy theories.
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