ben zygier

Avraham 'Avera' Mengistu (Facebook)

Archaic gag order lifted: Two Israeli civilians being held in Gaza

This is the third time in five years — that we can discuss — in which Israeli authorities have tried to use comprehensive gag orders to stop the publication of stories of public interest. This also is the third time that the Internet has made a mockery of such efforts to control information. A 28-year-old…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man July 9, 2015

Ben Zygier, alleged Mossad Agent who was found dead in his cell in 2010 (photo: ABC Australia)

Press freedom in Israel: Democracy in the age of self-censorship

More worrying than the institutional instruments that enable censorship are the multiple forms of self-censorship that are deeply ingrained in the journalistic practices and conventions of Israeli media. By Ido Liven As the Hebrew proverb goes, “be a tail among lions rather than a head among foxes.” In Freedom House’s latest report, Israel’s state of press…

By +972 Magazine May 7, 2013

Former Mossad head Meir Dagan (R) with former IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi (L) (Photo: Israel Defense Forces, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

‘Prisoner X’ and the security elite’s unchecked power

Recent actions taken by the heads of the army, Mossad and the internal security service (Shin Bet) reveal the Israeli security establishment’s unsupervised power, and the way it directs that power at the country’s own citizens and elected officials. These are the main details which have been made public in the affair of Ben Zygier,…

By Noam Sheizaf February 18, 2013

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Ayalon prison facility, near the city of Ramla (photo: Activestills)

Why Israel will continue trying to keep ‘Prisoner X’ a secret

If the reports — and unraveling details — about Ben Zygier’s work with the Mossad are true, Israel has every reason to try and keep his existence and identity a secret, however superflous those efforts may be. As details about the life, work and untimely demise of ‘Prisoner X’ unravel, the most intriguing unanswered questions…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man February 13, 2013

Ben Zygier, alleged Mossad Agent who was found dead in his cell in 2010 (photo: ABC Australia)

‘Prisoner X’: Censorship and gag orders in the age of new media

The ‘Prisoner X’ affair was sensitive enough for Israel to use all of its censorship tools at once: the military censor, gag orders and the ‘editors committee.’ But was the effort by the Prime Minister’s Office entirely about national security, or did it have to do with protecting those responsible for the mess? And what should…

By Noam Sheizaf February 13, 2013