'Absurd.' Dorner
צילום: ניב קלדרון
Will court lift gag order over secret security affair?
Weeks after case receives wide coverage in foreign press, court expected to allow partial publication of mysterious affair's details
After numerous weeks of secrecy, the Tel Aviv District Court on Thursday is expected to clear for publication, at least partially, details of the severe security affair that was under a sweeping gag order in all Israeli media outlets.
The court is expected to only permit partial publication of the details of the case, until it reconvenes to discuss the various appeals issued by the media for a full lift of the gag order.
Details of those involved in the case, as well as the offenses ascribed to them were widely discussed during the past few weeks in the foreign press as well as on blogs across the internet.
Retired Supreme Court Justice Dalia Dorner on Monday criticized the prolonged media blackout and said, "If the whole world knows, it is absurd to place a gag order on the case. We are a democratic state. When the government makes a decision that is not liked by the citizen or the newspaper, there are ways to address it in court," she said.
While in Israel the gag order resulted in complete silence over the details of the case, these received extensive coverage in the foreign press as well as in blogs written by individuals that are not subjugated to the restrictions placed on the media.
As the media blackout extended, so did the foreign coverage. Detailed reports of the case were published in West Europe, the US and Britain, as well as media outlets directed at Jews living in the Diaspora.
