Shomrim Archive

A Lot of Torah and Very Little Dialogue: Bezalel Smotrich’s Plan to Radically Change the Character of Israel

Women? "Get married and have a lot of children for Israel’s sake.’ Arabs? ‘You are here by mistake because Ben Gurion did not get the job done.’ LGBTQ+? ‘Imagine if the disabled were to demand that everyone cut off their own leg.’ Reform Judaism? ‘There should be no room for a public space adapted to the Reform approach’. The Finance Minister of Israel, Bezalel Smotrich, has been talking a lot about ‘brotherly dialogue’ but a comprehensive survey of his positions, as expressed in interviews, articles and social media, paints a picture that is far from reflecting any kind of faith in dialogue

Chen Shalita

Their Final Battle: Former Israeli Prisoners of War Versus the State of Israel

Fifty years after the Yom Kippur War, the soldiers who were taken captive are still fighting. Many of them are sick and despairing of a country that “is just waiting for us to die”. As terrible and agonizing as captivity was for them, nothing could prepare them for the humiliation they would suffer when they got home. ‘They told us: It’s too bad you didn’t come home in coffins,’ says one. ‘They thought we were traitors, spies,’ another adds.” As a last resort, they turned to the High Court for their justice – and their peace of mind. A special Shomrim report

Renen Netzer

Not Just Kohelet: Exposing the NGOs that Paved the Way for Radical Right-Wing Legislation

It’s happening below the radar and has been for years: non-governmental organizations did the groundwork to advance the agendas of right-wing parties. In some of them, politicians were actively involved in drawing up plans to change the very character of the State of Israel. Members of one group visited a key Knesset committee – chaired by one of its founders – no fewer than 55 times. The fingerprints of another, which is working to turn Israel into a Halakha state, can be found all over the coalition agreements. The list of organizations goes on and on. A Shomrim investigation

Shuki Sadeh

Shomrim Investigation Uncovers: U.S. Billionaire Danchik Channels Funds to Kohelet through American 'Medical Research' Institution

A 2021 revelation exposes a $12 million donation from U.S. billionaire Arthur Danchik's philanthropic foundation to an ostensibly 'research institution,' which subsequently routed funds to the Central Fund of Israel. This fund supports various charities and associations in Israel. The Kohelet Policy Forum, instrumental in driving the Netanyahu government's judicial overhaul, recorded a single donation that year—attributed to the Central Fund of Israel. Both Danchik and Kohelet have refrained from providing responses. A collaborative investigation by Shomrim and TheMarker.

Uri Blau

Aliyah Ministry's Response to Decreased Western Immigration: Funding Hebron's Flag March

Facing a projected 60% decline in immigration from Western countries due to judicial changes, the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration proposes a solution: Providing 150,000 shekels ($40,000) to Shavei Hevron yeshiva for a parade involving French Jews.

Uri Blau

Israel Police Seeks Increased Procurement of Riot-Control Equipment Amid Ongoing Demonstrations

Amidst the ongoing demonstrations against the government’s proposed judicial reforms, the Israel Police has initiated efforts to acquire a substantial quantity of riot-control weapons. The procurement requests include a significant increase in batons, tactical gloves, goggles, fencing, and sponge grenades. The motives behind the extensive acquisitions remain undisclosed by the police department.

Uri Blau

The West Bank Real Estate Game: Uncovering Subsidies and Land Practices in Settlements

Property buyers in sought-after settlements pay full price, while developers enjoy state-subsidized land in less desirable areas.

Shuki Sadeh

Analyzing Justice Minister Yariv Levin's Meeting Patterns During Ongoing Judicial Reform

Revealing Minister Levin's Extensive Engagements Amidst the Reform Agenda. Eighteen long meetings with Simcha Rotman, the head of the Knesset’s Constitution Committee; several meetings with members of the Kohelet Policy Forum; briefings and interviews with right-wing media outlets; and a dozen meetings with the director of the Pardons Department in the Justice Ministry. In contrast, not one single meeting with the head of the Israel Bar Association, a handful of meetings with the attorney general and increasingly sporadic meetings with Israel’s chief justice.

Chen Shalita

Still Connected: Economy Minister Nir Barkat’s Business Empire Raises Conflict of Interest Concerns

Four years after he was first elected to the Knesset and more than six months into his tenure as economy minister, Nir Barkat hasn't divested from his business portfolio – which includes holdings in many different companies operating in Israel. He once claimed that his interests are in a blind trust controlled by his brother, but the rules do not permit ministers to use first-degree relatives as trust-holders. A former deputy attorney general says: ‘Barkat must sell or get a conditional permit to keep his holdings.’ Barkat refused to respond. After publication of this article, his office said: ‘Barkat does what is required of him by law.’ A Shomrim investigation, also published in Calcalist

Uri Blau

With Food in Their Stomachs, At-Risk Israeli Students Get a Chance to Break the Cycle of Hunger

For tens of thousands of students in Israel, hunger is an everyday occurrence. As Shomrim revealed last year, the state takes no responsibility for their nutritional welfare the moment they leave primary education – and many of them drop out. But there is another way: thanks to the five-year plan for the Arab community, which came into effect last year, at-risk students at 25 high schools get a hot meal and a second chance. We can only hope that this is just the beginning. A Shomrim follow-up

Daniel Dolev

Rights Groups Threaten High Court Petition If Israeli Government Refuses to Amend Food-Vouchers Criteria

Earlier this year, a Shomrim investigation revealed that the criteria set by the government for receiving food vouchers benefited primarily the ultra-Orthodox community – at the expense of other vulnerable communities. The findings of that report were subsequently confirmed by a series of state bodies, including the Finance Ministry and the National Council for Food Security. Nonetheless, the Interior Ministry still plans on distributing more food vouchers according to these discriminatory criteria

Daniel Dolev

For Arabs in Israel, Coming Out is a Matter of Life or Death

More than 80 percent of LGTBQ Arabs in Israel are still in the closet because coming out might doom them to a life of social alienation – even from their immediate family. H was forced to become “a slave to older men for several hours at a time.” A fled to the big city and now she is homesick. They, and others, know the path to change is long, and they can only dream of holding their own Pride Parade. For now, they just wish leaders of the Arab community would recognize them, and for their lives to be safer. A special Shomrim report for Pride Month. Published also on Mako website (Hebrew), Followed by Kan Public Radio (Hebrew)

Fadi Amun

Never Mind English and Math: Ultra-Orthodox Schools are Teaching Alternative History

With secularism and Zionism as the root of all evil, textbooks in ultra-Orthodox society are rewriting Israeli history so that it is harnessed to religious faith: The IDF won its wars thanks to ‘wonders and miracles, the second Intifada broke out because of civil weddings, and you can forget about asking where was God when the Holocaust had taken place. The Education Ministry isn’t even in the picture. Published also on Mako website (Hebrew), Followed by Kan Public Radio (Hebrew)

Chen Shalita

Behind the Scenes of the Submarine Deal

The first ThyssenKrupp submarines that were delivered to Israel came with periscopes that did not meet the Navy’s operational demands and were upgraded at huge expense. The Defense Ministry decided that the upgrade would be carried out by the manufacturer of the substandard periscopes, which was paid from the military aid that Israel receives from the United States – and not from the ministry’s procurement budget. The Navy, it seems, did not like the idea and just before the manufacture of the next batch of submarines, it advised a competing company how to improve its offer to the Defense Ministry by adding an Israeli “strategic partner.” The IDF and the Defense Ministry declined to comment. A Shomrim investigation. Published also in “The Times of Israel”

Uri Blau

The African Job: International Leak Suggests Corruption in Arms Deal between an Israeli Company and Ugandan Air Force

BIRD Aerosystems, partly owned by Israel’s largest private equity firm, sold air defense systems to Uganda. The deal was completed via a British company owned by Israeli arms dealer Boaz Badihi, who was also connected to two other firms involved in the deal. The compliance division of the German company that supplied some of the components was suspicious that ‘illicit measures were taken to influence decision-makers.’ It demanded a more thorough investigation – that was never completed. A Shomrim investigation. Published also in “The Times of Israel”

Daniel Dolev

Finance Ministry Confirms: Food-voucher Plan Skewed Aid Toward Ultra-Orthodox, at the Expense of Other Vulnerable Communities

Last month, Shomrim revealed how the first round of Aryeh Deri’s food vouchers was distributed. Now, a document written by the treasury’s Budget Department confirms these findings and argues that the criterion for receiving the assistance skewed distribution in favor of ultra-Orthodox households and vehemently opposes the continuation of the plan. A Shomrim follow-up

Daniel Dolev

The Ministry with no Minister: How Yariv Levin is Dismantling the Justice Ministry from Within

Senior civil servants are being kept in limbo, their contracts unrenewed. There is an atmosphere of ‘cleaning the stables’ and chasing out ‘leftists.’ And there’s been an 80 percent drop in legal memoranda and a 50 percent fall in government-sponsored legislation. Yariv Levin chose to serve as minister for judicial overhaul and not justice minister – and the legal system is paying the price. Since the start of the Netanyahu trial, there has also been a sharp decrease in corruption cases investigated because if you don’t investigate, you can’t get into trouble. A Shomrim report

Chen Shalita

Fleeing ‘African’ Schools: Tel Aviv’s Segregation Policy is Pushing Asylum Seekers Away From the City

Holon, Bat Yam, Netanya, Ashdod, and Bnei Brak are just some of the cities to which young families of asylum seekers from Eritrea have recently relocated. The high cost of living in south Tel Aviv is one significant consideration for these families, but the main reason for the move, they say, is Tel Aviv Municipality’s segregation policy, which concentrates these children in dedicated schools for Africans and other foreigners. “Children in asylum seeker schools sometimes can’t even write their own names.” A special Shomrim report

Shahar Smooha

Deri's Food Vouchers Favored the Ultra-Orthodox Over Other Vulnerable Communities

In the Ultra-Orthodox town of Modi’in Illit, residents got an average of 530 shekels. In the Bedouin regional conuil Neveh Midbar in the Negev – just 14 shekels apiece. Former Interior Minister Aryeh Deri’s food voucher initiative distributed 700 million shekels ($200 million) to needy citizens. An analysis of the data – made available only after a freedom-of-information request – shows that the Ultra-Orthodox got significantly more of the money than other vulnerable communities. Deri declined to comment on this article. A Shomrim investigation, published in conjunction with Calcalist

Daniel Dolev

The Price of Silence: Arab Victims of Sexual Assault Don’t Want to speak Out

While the number of Jewish-Israeli women filing sexual assault and harassment complaints climbs yearly, Arab women are still afraid to speak out. Those who do decide to share their stories often deal with families who blame them for what happened, with assailants who continue to threaten them, with police officers who don’t do their work and with negligent social and psychological services. Three women courageously agreed to share their stories with Shomrim

Fadi Amun

A Historic Report: ‘Committee Members Said They Watched the Investigation – and Couldn’t Sleep at Night’

More than six months ago Shomrim exposed the abuse, neglect and inhumane conditions in hostels for people with disabilities. Last week, a report published by a special public committee established to examine the workings of these institutions recommended their closer within five years, and moving the residents to ‘community housing’. The welfare minister has accepted the findings. ‘There are no words to describe how pleased we are with this report,” says attorney Na’ama Lerner. A Shomrim follow-up

Roni Singer

Police Close 11 Bothels in South Tel Aviv Following Shomrim/N12 Report

The police raid came less than two weeks after a report by Shomrim and the N12 website into lawlessness in the Neveh Sha’anan neighborhood. Thirty-eight women worked at the raided establishments. Tel Aviv Municipality claims it offered them all a place to sleep, rehabilitation, and financial help, but they all disappeared into thin air after the raid. The head of the residents’ association: ‘We are still a long way off celebrating, but after decades of police indifference and inactivity, we have seen the first significant enforcement operations in our neighborhood’

Roni Singer

The Red City: A Journey to Israel’s Murder Capital

With almost 70 homicides in a decade, most of which remain unsolved, Lod is Israel’s most dangerous and bloody city. Over the past few months, Shomrim has been out and about in the city • Between crime scenes and a police force that is helpless • Between victims’ families and reconciliation committees • Between kids with guns and women who have been abandoned to their fate • In Lod, it seems, even a utility bill or a kids’ soccer game can become the cause of a bloody feud. This project is published in cooperation with “Seven Days”, Yedioth Ahronoth’s weekend supplement

Daniel Dolev

The Dilemma of the Arab Community in Israel: Joining the Fight to Save Israeli Democracy

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis take to the streets every week to protest against the judicial overhaul. Noticeable by their absence are Israel’s Arab citizens. On the one hand, Israel’s Arab community has a score to settle with the Supreme Court, which normalized the occupation, and from its point of view failed to protect it. The same can be said about Israel’s Druze citizens, who are still furious about the Nation-State Law. On the other hand, there are growing calls in the community for Arab participation: ‘We’re not doing anyone any favors – not the left and not the center. The damage that this government is doing will harm the Arabs first.’ A special Shomrim report

Fadi Amun

Foster Parents to Foreign Children Don’t Understand Why the Children are Taken Away Without Warning

The testimonies keep repeating themselves: A foreign child lives for years with an Israeli foster family, and then, after the case is transferred to Tel Aviv Municipality’s Mesila unit, something changes. Suddenly, the authorities want to get the child back with the biological mother as quickly as possible, even if nothing has changed regarding her ability to raise him. Along the way, the foster families claim, there are lies, dismissive attitudes, and a lack of concern for the children’s welfare. A joint investigation by Shomrim and Haaretz newspaper

Daniel Dolev

Tel Aviv’s Crime Quarter: 31 Brothels, Drug Deals on Deckchairs and No Police

Welcome to Neveh Sha’anan: the neighborhood where there’s no law and no police. The only place in Tel Aviv where city hall has no problem with construction violations or illegal parking. Exclusive documentation obtained by Shomrim reveals that the police have made an informal decision that ‘anything goes’ in Neveh Sha’anan, so that crime does not infiltrate other parts of central Israel. Why is Neveh Sha’anan different from Rothschild Boulevard? This report also appears in the weekend supplement of N12

Roni Singer

Two Months After Government was Sworn In, Not One Minister Has Submitted a Conflict-of-Interest Agreement

Ministers are supposed to submit the preliminary conflict-of-interest questionnaire, on which their final agreement is based, within 30 days of taking office. Only 9 of the current 32 ministers have done so, and none have completed and published their final agreements. In comparison, two months after the previous government was sworn in, seven ministers had filed final agreements. A Shomrim investigation

Uri Blau

Conflict of Interest: Netanyahu and Bitan Voted, the Speaker Gave an Evasive Statement

Lawmakers who are in a conflict of interest can vote in the Knesset only if they make a due diligence statement about their case. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voted on the legal overhaul without making such a statement. The speaker of the Knesset made a statement for the record, saying that “the attorney general claims that the PM is in conflict of interest.” Netanyahu has already signed a conflict-of-interest agreement on this very matter – and this is not a claim, it’s a fact. A Shomrim follow-up

Chen Shalita

Revealed: Kohelet’s Billionaire Funders Invested In a Company Partly Owned by Economy Minister Nir Barkat

Arthur Dantchik and Jeff Yass have been revealed to be the main American funders of the Kohelet Policy Forum, with which Barkat has a very cozy and close relationship. In 2021 one of their companies invested in eToro, in which Barkat has shares. Barkat in response: Your attempt to intimidate elected officials from cooperating with Kohelet will not succeed. A Shomrim/TheMarker investigation

Uri Blau

Kohelet Funded Policy Papers Designed to Help Nir Barkat become Prime Minister

Over the course of around two years, the Forum for National Challenges published five policy papers. According to one insider, the goal of the Forum was to lay the groundwork for Nir Barkat to launch a campaign to become the leader of the Likud party – and then prime minister. Legal experts are divided over whether policy papers can be considered political donations, which must be reported to the State Comptroller. Kohelet in response: We are grateful for the exposure you’re giving our research and activity. A Shomrim exclusive, also published in TheMarker

Shuki Sadeh

Kohelet’s Tentacles: How the Most Influential Right-Wing Body in Israel Developed a Network of NGOs

From settlements to education, from unions to immigration: the Kohelet Policy Forum, viewed as the most influential right-wing body in Israel, has spread its wings over many NGOs and associations. It funds some of them directly, cooperates with others – and shares many of the same officials. In most cases, the websites of these organizations downplay their connection to the Forum. Kohelet, in response: These are completely independent organizations. A Shomrim exposé

Shuki Sadeh

Shomrim Exclusive: Kohelet’s Fingerprints Are All Over the Expanded Power of the Ministry of National Security

A document written in conjunction with the Shiloh Policy Forum, founded by the Kohelet Policy Forum, includes clauses that are remarkably similar to the demands made by Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich during coalition negotiations. The document was allegedly signed by former top IDF and police officers, but some of them now have reservations. Amos Yadlin claims that he never signed the document, even though his name appears on it. Amos Gilad: I made a mistake. A Shomrim expose in conjunction with TheMarker

Shuki Sadeh

Torah First: The Judicial Revolution No One is Talking About

Israeli headlines have been dominated by the proposed legal reform of Justice Minister Yariv Levin, but below the radar, buried deep in the coalition agreements, Likud has agreed with its partners to enact an equally dramatic revolution, which would split the Israeli judicial system and grant rabbinical courts the same powers as any other court. ‘You don’t need to be an expert to recognize that there’s more chance now of the legislation being passed.’ A special Shomrim report

Chen Shalita

Healthcare Racism: Exposing the Illusion of Coexistence in Israeli Hospitals

If there is one place you could be forgiven for thinking would be immune to the symptoms of the Israel-Arab conflict, it would be the healthcare system. The struggle against the coronavirus pandemic even strengthened the sense of solidarity. But then came the 2021 war in Gaza, the riots in mixed Jewish-Arab cities, and, most recently, the suspension of Dr. Ahmed Mahajana from Hadassah Hospital – all of which began to expose something that had been kept hidden for years. A special Shomrim/Calcalist report exposes the racism in hospitals: Not only between patients and medical teams but among the staff as well

Chen Shalita

Statusless in Israel: What Can a 19-Year-Old Do if the State Refuses Her Health Insurance?

As long as they are under 18, the state provides health insurance for statusless people in Israel. But what happens on the day that they become legal adults? They are left with no access to medicine or healthcare, even when this could put their lives at risk. The same is true for people who are not candidates for deportation, and even those who were once under the wings of the welfare authorities. According to estimates, the number of people in Israel with no medical insurance is expected to skyrocket. A Shomrim follow-up

Daniel Dolev

Israel’s Housing Crisis is a Catastrophe for the Arab Community

Without a masterplan, without rental apartments and with a shortfall of at least 6,000 housing units a year – not to mention countless illegally built homes because there was no alternative – the housing crisis in the Arab community is making life impossible for young married couples and spreading even further. The reasons are known – from state neglect to the Arab community itself – still there’s no solution on the horizon. A Shomrim report

A special report |

Fadi Amun

Shadow Diplomats: Hezbollah’s Money-Smuggling Route Exposed

An international investigation by ICIJ, ProPublica, and 45 media outlets including Shomrim as the Israeli partner, exposes how the Lebanese terror organization used honorary consuls to fund its activity.

Uri Blau

Revealed: How Sheba and the Health Ministry Bungled the Mistakenly Implanted Embryo Affair

No court order and no discussion in the hospital’s ethics panel; it now turns out that the genetic tests given to the parents of Sophia – the ‘disputed Assuta embryo’ – were improvised and misguided. Sheba in response: ‘A byproduct of the tests is genetic linking to the mother.’ Health Ministry: ‘All of the tests were done legally’

Chen Shalita

Exclusive: Israel’s Outgoing Government Approved a First-Ever Outreach Program to Progressive American Jews

After years of neglect by Israeli decision-makers, the outgoing government launched a first-ever initiative aimed at tackling the growing rift between the State of Israel and progressive Jews in the United States. Supporters of the project - revealed here for the first time - say that its importance lies in the fact that, for the first time, Israel will be officially cooperating with Conservative and Reform communities. Its detractors argue that it does not address key issues that are worrisome for its intended audience. Either way, the projects’ survival under the new government is at risk. A Shomrim exclusive

Uri Blau

Fatal Mistrust: Second and Third Generation Ethiopian Israelis are Most at Risk from Suicide

The figures may be open to debate, but the problem remains acute: members of the Ethiopian community in Israel have one of the highest suicide rates in the world. Community activists say that mistrust of the establishment leads to a reticence to ask for help. Now, with a new wave of immigration from Ethiopia imminent, the fundamental question is being asked again: Who and what needs treatment – the desperate youths or the desperately inadequate Israeli response?

Amit Moran and Melodi Shor

Jerusalem’s Garbage Dump: Petition Filed to Close Sewage Plant at Atarot

Six months ago, Shomrim revealed that the police’s Occupational Health Unit found that the severe air pollution at the Atarot industrial zone was endangering the health of officers serving nearby. Now, following a petition filed by the owner of an adjacent shopping mall seeking the closure of a sewage treatment plant, it turns out that a senior official from Jerusalem Municipality described the whole area as “a garbage dump” and that the Ministry of Environmental Protection has already sought to rescind the plant’s operating license – before changing its mind. The company’s response: We were there first. A Shomrim follow-up

Uri Blau

Ignored by Israel, African Asylum Seekers Look for a Future Elsewhere

R. and her 12-year-old daughter left for Canada, along with hundreds of other asylum seekers leaving Israel every month. Behra, who fled Eritrea 15 years ago, describes Israel as an ‘open prison’ in which he and his children live with no status and no future. A special Shomrim report: How Israel is pushing asylum seekers out, and why the issue has dropped off the national agenda

Shahar Smooha

Bottom of the Food Chain: Hundreds of Thousands of Israeli Kids Go Hungry at School

More than 660,000 Israeli children suffer from food insecurity, and around half are hungry. The only hot meal many of them get is at school, but the Education Ministry’s feeding program is only for children in primary schools. The food disappears as soon as a child is in seventh grade, and the implications, including violence and attrition, can be severe. The first in a two-part project, published in collaboration with Musaf Calcalist: A journey to the last-chance highs schools that are forced deal with the education system’s rumbling stomach

Daniel Dolev

Sandwich Children: Teachers and Schools are Forced to Deal Alone with Student Hunger

Israel could easily solve the problem of hungry children at a negligible cost, but instead, the state opts to leave the issue to NGOs and independent initiatives by teachers and schools. Part two of ‘Bottom of the Food Chain,’ a special Shomrim project: There are solutions, and some of them are already showing positive results

Daniel Dolev

Police Searches in the Cloud: Israel Worried about International Incidents – But Bid Nothing to Prevent Them

Police forces worldwide have encountered a new problem in recent years: Information on suspects’ cellular devices is stored on overseas cloud servers – ostensibly out of reach of local search warrants. A case currently being heard in an Israeli courtroom, however, reveals that local legal authorities were aware of the problem but, despite concerns over harming foreign relations, created a method of bypassing the law and allowing these searches to go ahead – even though it’s in violation of an international charter signed by dozens of countries. Israel is not alone: Only a handful of countries have passed relevant legislation. A Shomrim report

Daniel Dolev

Ultra-Orthodox Zionists: Will this Election Expose a Tacit Change in Haredi Society?

Opinion polls are predicting many floating voters in the ultra-Orthodox community will vote for the far-right Otzma Yehudit party reflecting the processes and changes that are taking place, deep below the surface, within ultra-Orthodox society. A combination of increased nationalism, anger at the leadership in the aftermath of the Meron disaster and their handling of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as outrage over the exposure of sexual harassment scandals, is leading many Haredim to look for a political alternative to their aged representative in the Knesset. ‘The traditional Haredi issue is on the agenda in any case, and someone will take care of it,’ explains one ultra-Orthodox Jerusalemite. ‘I won’t vote for United Torah Judaism again; I’ll vote for someone else who has similar views to me – and that’s Ben-Gvir.’ A Shomrim analysis

Chen Shalita

The Automatic Voter: ‘The Public Doesn’t Understand Just How it is being Manipulated.’

Whether or not the upcoming election provides Israel with a clear outcome, one thing has already been settled: the basic right of Israeli citizens to privacy is gone and will probably never be restored. An ever-increasing array of technologies are being used to locate, categorize and incentivize people to cast a vote – and these tools are collating layer upon layer of personal information about each and every one of us without our knowledge. A Shomrim investigation reveals the system used and why we will only find out about most of the manipulation in retrospect – if ever

Shahar Smooha

Revealed: Barrels of Radioactive Waste Stored for Years in Central Israel

The Volcani Center, located in the central Israeli city of Rishon Letzion, accumulated a large quantity of radioactive waste over a period of up to 15 years – hazardous material that should, by law, have been disposed of at the Negev Nuclear Research Center. Some of the waste comes from the phosphorus-32 isotope, which can lead to severe health problems. After an inspection by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Volcani Center was ordered to dispose of the waste at once – a process that took another four months. A Shomrim exposé

Uri Blau

The Changing Face of the Golan: Record Number of Druze Requesting Israeli Citizenship

Fifty-five years after the Six-Day War, and more than a decade after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, the Druze population on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights is torn between the two countries. A freedom of information request filed by Shomrim reveals a record number of requests for Israeli citizenship – but these are often submitted in secret. Sometimes, even family members don’t know. One young Druze woman who took Israeli citizenship: I have never felt any kind of affinity to Syria or Israel. I asked for citizenship to make my life easier.

Fadi Amun

War on Attrition: Tens of Thousands of Children Could Become ‘Hidden Dropouts’ – and the Education Ministry Has No Data

The State Comptroller issued a dire caution, professionals in the field waved warning flags and MKs demanded answers. But the Education Ministry insists that high-school attrition is waning. Where does the discrepancy come from? The ministry is not considering the ramifications of the coronavirus pandemic or hidden dropouts – children and youths who are registered at school in name alone. A special Shomrim report looks at the root causes of attrition, which is threatening the futures of tens of thousands of Israeli children and youths.

Chen Shalita

Health Ministry Backtracks and Admits That Long-Term Use of Opioids Always Causes Physical Addiction

Shomrim continues to update readers on Israel’s opioid plague. During a High Court hearing this week, the Health Ministry stated unequivocally for the first time that the long-term use of opioid painkillers always leads to physical addiction. The ministry also said it would consider more aggressive health warnings on painkillers

Daniel Dolev

Speech Crime in Israel: 43 Incitement Charges in Two Years – Most Against Arabs

A freedom of information request submitted by Shomrim reveals the numbers behind one of the most sensitive crimes in any democratic regime. Only three of the indictments filed in Israel for the crime of incitement were not nationalist in nature: two were directed at Netanyahu’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the other was for comments aimed at judges. A senior prosecutor explains: The gulf between Jews and Arabs is because there are more banned Palestinian terror groups and because the so-called ‘hilltop youth’ does not use social media. A Shomrim exposé

Daniel Dolev

Neglect, Ltd: Inside Israeli Hostels for People With Disabilities

A series of joint investigative reports by Shomrim and Kan, Israel’s public broadcaster, reveals the goings-on in hostels for people with disabilities in Israel. The physical and emotional violence, the hidden camera that captured images of neglect and maltreatment and the helplessness of the Welfare Ministry, which is supposed to oversee these hostels but does nothing

Roni Singer

Israel’s Public Transportation Policy Throws Arab Communities Under the Bus

Public transport is a fundamental condition for growth and development – especially in struggling communities. For decades, the State of Israel and the Transportation Ministry have ignored the needs of Arab communities. Some of them have no internal public transport and, in others, buses go around the town. What about a train station in an Arab city? Maybe in 15 years from now. The ministry’s response: Developing infrastructure is a top priority

Fadi Amun

U.S. Confirms: 'Continued Dialog' With Israel Over NSO’s Inclusion on Blacklist

Israeli cybersecurity firm NSO was added to the blacklist after a series of investigations revealed that it's Pegasus spyware had been against journalists and human rights activists. Sources familiar with the case say that Israel has officially decided to intervene in the matter – partly because of concern that other companies offering offensive cyber tools could be blacklisted, harming the entire industry. The State Department recently confirmed for the first time to Shomrim that there has been contact with Israel on the issue. The Prime Minister’s Office refused to respond

Uri Blau

The Same Bill, Drafted by Uber, Submitted to Knesset Three Times

The bill sought to regulate the company’s operations in Israel and was last submitted to the Israeli parliament for approval eight months ago. It was tabled by Knesset members from several different parties. A Shomrim investigation

Uri Blau

Netanyahu and The Uber Files: A Meeting in Davos, a Clash With Katz and Help From the PMO

A massive leak of documents has revealed the extent to which Uber used connections, pressure, and lobbyists as part of its efforts to penetrate the Israeli market. A Shomrim investigation shows how the company managed to get as far up as then-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who, according to the leaks, promised to “break the resistance” of the transportation minister. According to the documents, Eli Groner, the director-general of the Prime Minister’s Office, told the company what messages would win over the Israeli public, when to go to the media and repeatedly reminded Uber that “it’s important that the prime minister looks good.” On a separate occasion, he asked that any future communication be sent to his private email address, not his government one. Netanyahu, Groner and Katz did not respond

Uri Blau

Uber’s Global Strategy: Ties With Macron, Deals with Putin’s Oligarchs, and an Anti-Investigation Kill Switch

Seven heads of state and 20 ministers in various governments across the world met with representatives of Uber during the period covered by the leak. This did not happen organically: the company hired a lengthy list of lobbyists – including former advisors to President Obama, ex-ambassadors, and people with close ties in government circles. When political contacts alone were not enough to prevent investigations from being launched, the company set up an emergency procedure for destroying documents that could be of interest to authorities

Uri Blau

Uber Lobbied Israeli, U.S. Ambassadors to Halt Criminal Probe Into the Company’s Israeli Operations

When a criminal investigation against Uber in Israel was launched, the company got nervous. “(I) don’t want our guys getting put in jail,” one senior Uber official wrote. He then detailed how the company should handle the situation: Hire someone to make phone calls at the highest level to persuade them to “calm the fuck down.” A former US Ambassador was hired. He contacted the US ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, and the Israeli ambassador to the US, Ron Dermer. According to leaked emails, they were sympathetic to the company’s cause and expressed willingness to help. Dermer in response: Israeli officials listen to the arguments of American companies even if they have no intention of changing policy or using their influence. A Shomrim investigation

Uri Blau

Shooting in the Dark: Israel Refusing to Divulge the Number of Citizens Carrying Guns

The Public Security Ministry has been boasting about a 20 percent drop in the number of Israelis with a firearms license over the past decade – but is only counting one of the two categories of permitholders. The ministry is even keeping the full figures from the Knesset’s Public Security Committee and its Research and Information Center. Various experts believe that the motivation behind this policy is a desire to hide the increase in the number of permits issued in Israel and the resultant spike in suicides and domestic violence. Shomrim has filed a freedom of information request. An exposé

Chen Shalita

No State, No Status: The Israeli-Born Kids Who Aren't Citizens of Any Country

Tens of thousands of children born in Israel are growing up without an identity card. They receive welfare services and education, but officially they hardly exist. Even those who are wards of the state and who live in boarding schools or foster families remain transparent, and, once they become adults, they are left to their own devices. "I don't have an ID card, so I certainly can't get a passport. It's even harder for me to find a job," says 20-year-old Roni. A special Shomrim report

Daniel Dolev

Israel to Issue Work Permits to Gay Palestinian Asylum Seekers

Three years after a petition was submitted to the Supreme Court, the state responded by saying that it would grant work permits to Palestinians who have been granted asylum in Israel because of their connection to the LGBTQ community or violence within the family. At a Knesset hearing, MK Mara'ana said: "The state's response sets right a historical injustice." The hearing was attended by Shomrim's Fadi Amun, who published a report on the issue

Fadi Amun

Missing Links: Every Year, 20 Israelis Disappear Without a Trace

Sapir Nahum, the 24-year-old Israeli woman whose body was recently discovered 11 days after she disappeared, is far from being a rare case. Shomrim has obtained the real figures regarding the number of missing persons in Israel: some 4,500 missing person files are opened every year, and close to 600 have remained open since the establishment of the state. Their families face complete chaos, with many descending into a financial tailspin and their bank accounts being foreclosed – but the bills and debts continue to mount up. The weakest sectors of society, who have no voice and resources, are helpless; the law does not provide any solution, and the State Comptroller has been asked to weigh in on the police's inadequate handling of the problem. A police response: "We see the issue as a mission.". A Shomrim investigation with Mako

Chen Shalita

Greenwash Inc.: Israeli Nature Authority Taking Dirty Donations From Top Polluters

Over a year ago, a Shomrim investigation revealed that among the companies donating money to the Israel Nature and Parks Authority were several with dubious ecological records – including the Israel Chemicals Group, Nesher Israel Cement Enterprises, and several companies drilling for gas. And guess what? Nothing has changed. These donations continued to flow in 2020, along with rampant greenwashing and potential conflicts of interest. The INPA in response: "We have introduced a rigorous procedure for donations, with a special eye on companies that pollute." A Shomrim investigation in cooperation with Kan Channel 11

Nurit Malkin

Trial and Error: New Tax Could Cost Israeli Families Up to 1,800 Shekels a Month

A new tax – which the treasury claims will get rid of traffic jams – will cost Israelis 15 shekels a day to drive from Kfar Sava to Herzliya or 22.5 shekels from Ramle to Holon. It now turns out, however, that the Knesset approved the new tax based on inaccurate, problematic, and manipulated statistics. These included successful but unrealistic results from a pilot scheme that examined the effectiveness of the tax and a survey that allegedly proved that poor people do not travel to the center of Israel. So, where did the treasury get its data from? Mainly from Google Traffic. One transportation expert says that, at best, the impact on congestion will be marginal. A Shomrim investigation in cooperation with TheMarker

Eyal Abrahami

No Pride, No Work, No Rights: LGBTQ Palestinians in Israel are Caught in a Trap

In the West Bank, their lives are in danger and the threat often comes from their closest relatives. When Israel agrees to help, which is the best-case scenario, that help is conditional. Ninety-one LGBTQ Palestinians have been given residency permits for humanitarian reasons, but they are living on borrowed time and don't get work permits or health insurance. There are sentenced to a life of exploitation, sometimes even resorting to prostitution. Why does Israel not allow them to take legal jobs? A petition was filed on the matter three years ago, but the state has yet to respond. A Shomrim report for Pride Month

Fadi Amun

Herd Immunity: One in Four Criminal Cases in Israel Involves Some Immunity Deal

Immunity is an important tool in the police's efforts to protect its sources and assets – but the widespread use of such agreements makes life hard for defense attorneys and the courts. Six years ago, authority for issuing immunity agreements was transferred from the Public Security Minister to a private attorney, selected by public tender. One former senior police officer: "We have to tell the truth: getting an immunity deal is a rubber stamp – and it serves the interests of the police and the prosecution." A special Shomrim report

Roni Singer

The Parliamentary Database: Examining the Figures, Considering the Quality

Which parties take their jobs on the opposition benches seriously and which do not? And what about the parties that are members of the ruling coalition? What do MKs Galit Distel Atbaryan and Ofer Cassif have in common? Do Likud boycotts limit the work of the opposition? And what gift did MK Amichai Chikli give to the Yemina Knesset faction? Shomrim's database of lawmakers – a periodical analysis

Miki Levy and Dov Morel

Revealed: Health Officials Call for Evacuation of Border Police Base Over High Air Pollution

Air pollution near the Atarot base, north of Jerusalem, exceeds the Israeli limit – which is considered extremely lax – by 288 percent. Sometimes, it reaches 1,000 percent over the limit. The Israel Police’s Occupational Health and Safety Unit want the base evacuated, but, in the meantime, the police will make do with constant monitoring. The police response: “We’ve set up a committee.”

Uri Blau

Civil Burial in Israel? Not Here, Not Now and Not Secular

A quarter of a century has passed since a law was passed allowing Israelis to be buried in accordance with their beliefs, yet, absurdly, the biggest beneficiary of the legislation is the religious burial society. One woman’s attempts to find a suitable burial place expose the government’s helplessness. Unless one is willing to be buried far from the center of the country, to pay 60,000 shekels or to be given a civil funeral by a religious body, there is no such thing as a secular burial in Israel. A special report: How the state safeguards the monopoly of religious burial.

Jonathan Bloom

Health Ministry Admits Failure to Contain the Use of Addictive Painkillers

Shomrim reveals how the Health Ministry issued new directives to hospitals and HMOs regarding the regulation and restriction of opioid use. In an internal document, the ministry confirmed the findings of a series of investigative reports by Shomrim, which highlighted the sharp rise in the number of users, the length of time they took opioids, and the dosage. In response, the ministry said: “This is only a draft. The circular has been sent out for comments and corrections and we are waiting to get feedback from the field. If needed, we will issue even clearer guidelines.”

Daniel Dolev

“We’ve got reports about specific attempts to lure female refugees from Ukraine into prostitution.”

An official from the human trafficking authority tells Shomrim that “there has also been a spike in online demand for what’s referred to as ‘new Ukrainian women.’” The National Anti-Trafficking Coordination Unit is unsurprised by the phenomenon and says that, in the coming days, it plans to set up information kiosks for female refugees arriving at Ben-Gurion Airport. “We’re thinking on our feet,” says Attorney Dina Dominitz, the unit director. A Shomrim report.

Daniel Dolev

Shomrim report: What happens when local officials waste our money?

Unbeknownst to many Israelis, an Interior Ministry committee has the authority to impose fines on mayors and civil servants who improperly use municipal taxes. However, a Shomrim investigation has found that there is no correlation between the extent of the waste and the severity of the fines – which, in any case, are often reduced or remain unpaid for years. Despite a scathing report by the state comptroller, nothing has changed.

Chen Shalita

Any small currency change can turn Israel into an oligarch’s refuge

Russian private jets have filled the tarmac at Ben-Gurion Airport, huge sums of money are looking for a way to get here – and Israeli law, for the most part, doesn’t have the answers. By law, an account in Israel can only be frozen if it is linked to terrorism or the Iranian nuclear program. Experts warn that banks may be obeying American sanctions and helping Israel avoid international embarrassment, but one small change that would allow money to be transferred from Russia could alter the whole picture. A Shomrim report.

Daniel Dolev

SuisseSecrets Massive Leak: Mickey Ganor's secret account

A massive leak from one of the world's biggest private banks has revealed that one of the key figures in the so-called submarine affair, Mickey Ganor, held an account that, at one time, had a balance of $687,000. It appears that this account was not part of the police investigation and is not mentioned in the indictment against him. Ganor's lawyers declined to respond. The account's existence was revealed as part of SuisseSecrets, an international project spearheaded by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. Some 50 media outlets examined the documents leaked from the famously secretive bank. Shomrim's Uri Blau was the Israeli representative to the project.

Uri Blau

Tinderbox: Why no one dares to challenge Israel's failed security prison policy

There's one thing that prisoners and warders agree on: Israel's security prisons are poorly managed. At the heart of this failure is a long-standing policy with just one goal – keeping the occupied territories quiet, even though the connection between events in prisons and what happens on the ground is no longer what it once was. Moreover, the Israel Prisons Service inadvertently creates prisoner-leaders, turns a blind eye to sexual harassment of female warders, and strengthens the bond between prisoners and terror organizations. It is not the only culprit in this story: the Shin Bet is nixing any reform and, while the politicians have had harsh comments, they opted not to do anything. A Shomrim report.

Roni Singer

Bench press: The path to a judge’s job revealed

The case of Eti Craif, who was appointed to serve as a judge on the Netanya Magistrate’s Court – despite not making the cut when she came up before the Judicial Training Committee – has shone a light on the path that people take before being appointed to the bench in Israel. In a special report, Shomrim reveals for the first time what goes on behind the appointment process: the trick questions, the behind-the-scenes pressure, the group dynamics and why are only one-third of the candidates Arabs? “Many people just don’t understand what’s wanted of them,” says one judge on the panel. Another senior lawyer assets that “Eti Craif is right when she says you need connections and acquaintances.”

Chen Shalita

The right to be forgotten in Israel: Indictments are easy to find on Google. Less so acquittals or dropped charges

The story of Benny is a perfect example of the absurdity of implementing the principle of publicizing legal proceedings. The indictment filed against him is open to the public and, as a result, it appears in Google when searching for his name. This has had profound ramifications for his work and his private life. However, the withdrawal of that indictment is not in the public domain and does not come up in any internet search. A special committee established to find a solution never completed its work. And that’s not all: a law that would have shortened the period that a criminal record for minor crimes from 17 years to four, to help rehabilitate offenders, is not being implemented. Transparency, memory and justice – a Shomrim report.

Daniel Dolev

"What do you want from me?" Israel's welfare authorities turn a blind eye to violence in shelters for people with disabilities

This week, the police arrested employees of the Bnei Zion shelter in Rosh Ha'ayon on suspicion of abusing residents on hundreds of occasions. A recording obtained by Shomrim shows that a complaint was made to a senior official responsible for people with disabilities a year ago – but he showed no interest in the information and did not deal with the complaint. In response, the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services said: "What can be heard in the recording is very serious and is in total violation of the ministry's policy, which is determined by the minister and the director-general. Since this incident came to light, the ministry has taken far-reaching steps to fully investigate the allegations." This Shomrim exposé was also covered by News 12 on its main evening news.

Roni Singer

Easy prey: Who’d believe an autistic rape victim?

Who is looking out for Israel’s helpless citizens? The story of Sharon, a woman on the autistic spectrum, suggests that precious few official organizations if any. Sharon was taken to hospital because of a sudden deterioration in her condition, but the requisite tests were not carried out for years. When she was finally hospitalized, she was found to have contracted a sexually transmitted disease. This, and other findings, raised suspicions that she had been raped. Nonetheless, a police complaint was closed with alarming alacrity, and an investigation was only launched following an approach from Shomrim. As if that were not enough, the institute where Sharon was treated did not even look into the incident. A Shomrim investigation.

Roni Singer

One nation, under surveillance: How Israel’s trigger-happy courts went wiretap crazy

One week after Calcalist revealed that NSO’s Pegasus malware had been deployed on the cellphones of Israeli citizens, data obtained by Shomrim shines a light on almost three million classified police files – and reveals the vast extent to which the Israel Police uses wiretaps. In 2020, police filed 3,692 requests for a wiretap. Only 26 were rejected by the court. In addition to wiretapping, when one adds to that the number of search warrants police requests – warrants that allow them to infiltrate suspects’ computers and which are often handed out ex parte by a magistrate’s court – the number leaps to 65,000 requests a year, almost all of which are approved. In the United States and the United Kingdom, those figures are significantly lower. Are the courts overseeing, or are they a rubber stamp? A special Shomrim report.

Daniel Dolev

Prescription free-for-all: When cannabis is supervised but opioids aren’t

The spread of the opioid pandemic in Israel could have been prevented – or at least mitigated – almost 20 years ago, by introducing a computerized system to thwart unregulated use of prescriptions. A Health Ministry committee unanimously recommended it, the Knesset debated it several times and the government even found the budget to fund it. But the project never came into being and even today, in 2022, there’s no supervision of opioid prescriptions. The Justice Ministry says that the problem lies with personal privacy, but still manages to operate a similar system for the supervision of over 100,000 registered cannabis users. So, what’s the difference? The third part in a series of Shomrim investigations into the opioid crisis.

Daniel Dolev

“When I get the content from one of my client’s cellphones, I know him better than he knows himself”

The use of personal information stored on the cellphone of Nir Hefetz – as well as the phones of Yonatan Urich and Ofer Golan, two of Benjamin Netanyahu’s former aides – provide yet further proof of how legislation and rulings in Israel lag far behind technology. Whether or not it ends in a plea deal, the trial of the former prime minister shows that, when a court allows police to look on our computers and cellphones, it gives them carte blanche to pilfer whatever information they want. Moreover, the police often use that information far beyond the scope of their investigation. “This is a far greater violation of privacy than a wiretap or a physical search.” A Shomrim follow-up.

Chen Shalita

The illegal garbage plaguing Israel’s moshavim: “It’s crazy how they’re contaminating our land”

Residents of the Jerusalem Hills can hardly believe their eyes when they see how their streams and agricultural lands are being flooded by a combination of construction waste and filthy soil from building sites. Anyone who dares to complain is met with a violent response and the fines imposed on contractors are a drop in the ocean. Even the Environmental Protection Ministry admits that it’s helpless. “It’s like the destruction of the Temple,” says Itzik, a resident of Kfar Uria, as he points to a huge mound of dirt that is blocking the flow of a stream – and under which has been buried polluting construction material. “It’s like the Wild West here,” says moshavnik Tal. A Shomrim investigation.

Daniel Dolev

What happens when a hospital wants to buy an MRI scanner on the public’s dime?

The answer is that waits for approval for over three years. Just like in the case of the PET-CT scanners that Shomrim covered in a previous investigation, Israel lags far behind other OECD countries when it comes to MRI scanners. The reason is not lack of funding, but a government policy to limit spending on healthcare and to scale back expensive tests. As a result, patients are being scheduled for tests in the middle of the night and must wait months for an appointment. When one delves deeper into the picture, one finds – yet again – that those in remote communities have it worst. A Shomrim follow-up.

Daniel Dolev

Shomrim’s top investigative stories of 2021

Shomrim, established in late 2019, is a non-profit, independent news organization founded to strengthen Israeli democracy through investigative journalism. Our unique model is to conduct independent investigations to be published in partnership with existing media. To date, Shomrim has collaborated with over 20 different outlets, including Israel’s leading commercial media outlets. Alongside our documentary stories, data journalism and photojournalism, we are proud to bring you our top investigative stories of 2021.

Shomrim

If it’s not Nir Hefetz, no one cares: In Israel, the law doesn’t apply in the interrogation room

Maltreatment – including denying sleep, drugs and medical attention. Threatening to ‘drop a bombshell’ that will cause great distress to family members. Humiliation, lies and – incredibly – rats and fleas. The high-profile arrests of Nir Hefetz, Shaul Elovitch and Moshe Hogeg have shone a light on some of the methods police investigators in Israel use to extract confessions from suspects. Unless you happen to be the head of a crime family, in which case the officer will bring you coffee and cake. Where is the line between acceptable and unacceptable deception? In Israel, there is no line. Unlike the United States or the United Kingdom, there are no laws protecting suspects’ rights. A special Shomrim report.

A Shomrim investigative story |

Chen Shalita

Want to understand the neglect that leads to Bedouin crime? Start with the dogs

In Israel of 2021, lethal packs of wild dogs are roaming free across the Negev, terrifying locals. One toddler was mauled to death and an elderly woman was badly injured. These feral animals thrive on the carcasses and garbage that are readily available in unregulated dumps across the Negev. This might sound like the script for a dystopian Netflix show, but it’s very real – and residents have no answer for the wild dogs or the authorities, which have failed them time and time again. A Shomrim investigation.

Roni Singer

Citizens under surveillance: "Instead of the police doing its job, citizens are surveilling each other"

We are constantly being filmed: On the beach in our swimsuits, at the gas station, on the road, and while we’re looking for a parking spot. Drones are photographing us from the skies and the lobby of every building now has closed-circuit cameras. Sometimes we know we’re being filmed, but most of the time we’re blissfully unaware. Citizens have barely any access to the filmed material or to the ever-growing databases that record where we’ve been and exactly when we were at any given moment. The public space has never been as exposed and every citizen is considered a suspect until proven otherwise.

Chen Shalita

The prescription plague: One in 10 Israelis in danger of opioid addiction

Three years ago, the Health Ministry set up a special committee to regulate the prescription of opioids. That was an understated response to a deadly plague that has shattered American society, seen otherwise normative people become addicted to painkillers prescribed by their family doctor – and half a million deaths. According to official figures, one in every 10 Israelis takes some form of opioid – but that does not take into account what is happening on the black market. Shomrim reveals the protocols of the Health Ministry’s Opioid Committee. Part 1 in a series.

A Shomrim investigative story |

Daniel Dolev

Colombia in Israel: Shomrim exposes the cannabis map of Israel’s Wild South

Endless fields of weed: Across the Negev, even in the shadow of some of the largest IDF bases, Bedouin criminals are making the desert bloom with hundreds of cannabis greenhouses – and the money they raise is funding a rampant crime wave in southern Israel. Shomrim joined a Green Patrol operation to document the daily helplessness and powerlessness. A special Shomrim report.

A Shomrim investigative story |

Roni Singer

The opioid crisis: ‘In 2021, no one can claim that these drugs aren’t addictive’

Despite all the revelations in the United States about the opioid epidemic – and the role played by Purdue Pharma – there are people in Israel who are marketing them with the claim that use will only lead to addiction in 1 percent of cases. In the second part of Shomrim’s ‘The Prescription Plague’ series, we turn to the drug companies and examine their relationship with the medical establishment. But is asking them “like asking a cat what it thinks about eating mice”? Their response: “Drug companies have no intention or ability to sway the opinion of medical researchers.”

Daniel Dolev

Who’s afraid of the core curriculum: Haredi parents’ struggle to bring secular content to ultra-Orthodox schools

Rabbinical opposition, political pressuring and a conservative society that fears any kind of change: ultra-Orthodox parents across the country face huge obstacles in their struggle to give their children a broader education. They are willing to pay a high price for their battle – including harming their chances of getting a good matrimonial match for their offspring and even ostracism from the religious mainstream. As a result, just 12,000 children studied last year in the framework of the state-run Haredi education system. What role has Prime Minister Naftali Bennett played in this trend? A special Shomrim report.

A Shomrim investigative story |

Bini Aschkenasy

Supreme Court candidate Khaled Kabub failed to divulge friendship with his lawyer

A joint investigation by Shomrim and Calcalist: One of the candidates for a seat on the Supreme Court – Khaled Kabub – has been friends with attorney Zvika Bar-Nathan since their student days. Recently, Bar-Nathan represented Kabub in the so-called Bramley Affair, and also spoke on Kabub’s behalf on Channel 13’s “The Source.” Nonetheless, Bar-Nathan’s name does not appear on the Kabub’s recusal list. Moreover, the would-be justice is currently hearing several cases involving lawyers from Goldfarb, Seligman and Co., where Bar-Nathan is vice chairman – without providing the sides with due disclosure and in violation of norms and precedents. Kabub’s response: “Hundreds of lawyers work at Goldfarb, Seligman and Co. whom the judge does not know personally and has no relations with. The judge does not see any reason not to hear cases involving that office.” A joint Shomrim-Calcalist investigation.

Amir Kurz, Calcalist

One scanner for 500,000 people: “They tell you – either you pay to go private, or you die”

It’s a nerve-wracking experience that every Israeli knows all too well: they, or someone in their family, needs a complicated medical test – and that’s when the battle to get a timely appointment begins. It can take weeks or even months. The cancerous growth, meanwhile, doesn’t wait, and anyone who can fork up thousands of shekels turns to fixers and acquaintances in high places. Why is this the case? What prevents hospitals from acquiring more machines? And why is the ratio of machines to patients even worse in the peripheries? In Haifa, until this year, just one machine served half a million residents. In this Shomrim investigation, we took a standard PET-CT scan as a test case. Here are the findings.

Renen Netzer

Photo of the Year: Shomrim’s Democracy Prize for 2021

The Democracy Prize for 2021, awarded as part of the annual Local Testimony exhibition, which opened last month, was won by photographer Nimrod Gluckman, for his photograph of Beitar Jerusalem captain Idan Vered looking at the fingernails of Sapir Berman – the first transgender soccer referee in Israel. The video prize was awarded to Yochai Shalom Hadad for ‘The Water Mark’

Shomrim

The ongoing battle for the Ethics Committee: What’s Netanyahu’s trial got to do with it?

After five months and despite an opposition boycott, the speaker of the Knesset has announced the establishment of the Knesset’s Ethics Committee and sent letters to MKs Gila Gamliel (Likud) and Yaakov Margi (Shas). They, however, continue to drag their feet. Could that be because, as long as the Ethics Committee doesn’t convene, Benjamin Netanyahu is free to continue raising as much money as he wants to fund his legal defense?

Chen Shalita

What happens when a worker in a government office peeps at the personal files of his daughter’s friends in the Scouts?

The answer is very little. The various branches of the government – the Tax Authority, National Insurance Institute, the police, the Defense Ministry, the health system, and many others – hold large amounts of data about every single Israeli citizen. From time to time, an employee of one of these officers will take a surreptitious look at some of these personal files. In most cases, they are not caught, and, on the rare occasion when they are, the punishment is remarkably lenient. Officials from the Privacy Protection Authority say that there’s nothing they can do to counter the phenomenon.

Daniel Dolev

The Un-rehabilitated: "It’s true – if you've got money, you can buy your freedom faster"

Read the following statistic carefully: 70 percent of the prisoners released from Israeli jails do not go through any kind of rehabilitation process. Of those that do, just one in five is handled by the Prisoner Rehabilitation Authority, which has an annual budget of 60 million shekels. For the 10 percent who have the financial wherewithal, there are unsupervised, private rehabilitation programs, which help shorten the period of incarceration. Little wonder that Israel’s recidivism rate is more than 40 percent.

Roni Singer

Pandora papers: Hundreds of Israelis star in the biggest financial leak in history

Investigations by Shomrim, based on the Pandora Papers, uncover MK Nir Barkat’s holdings in the Virgin Islands and the questions surrounding the blind trust he signed; the massive debt that a company owned by Haim Ramon took on from old friend Martin Schlaff; and the Steinmetz family’s interest, while facing legal cases, in transferring 1 billion euros to the Cook Islands

A Shomrim investigative story |

Uri Blau