Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded Sunday to leaked recordings, claiming that police officer Cdr. Avishai Mualem refused to carry out “false arrests” of Israeli citizens as allegedly requested by the head of the Shin Bet’s Jewish Division.
Netanyahu said Mualem "upheld the law" but was later arrested on corruption charges with the approval of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.
He accused Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar and Baharav-Miara of having a long-standing relationship and conspiring to frame Mualem in order to block Bar’s dismissal.
The allegations follow the release of bombshell recordings that appear to show the head of the Shin Bet’s Jewish Division urging Mualem to bypass protocol and arrest Jewish settlers in the West Bank without warrants or evidence of wrongdoing.