Haaretz Reporter Blau a ‘Fugitive Felon’ Over Leaks, Israel Insists

Kam's Lawyer Urges Blau to Return, But to What?

by Jason Ditz, April 12, 2010

Former Israeli military conscript Anat Kam, facing a treason charge which could carry a lifetime prison sentence, abandoned any claim of legal protection as a whistleblower today, and her lawyer Avigdor Feldman insisted that Haaretz reporter Uri Blau was free to return to the country without having to protect Kam as a source.

But while Feldman and the rest of Kam’s legal team are said to be working on a “plea bargain” with the Israeli government exactly where Blau stands, legally speaking, remains unclear.

The reporter, who penned several articles on Israeli military war crimes based on Kam’s leaks of classified documents, fled to London amid a Shin Bet probe into the leaks, and remains there at the moment. Shin Bet insists that he is a “fugitive felon,” though so far it is unclear if Israel is even charging him with any felonies.

Though all of Blau’s articles were legally cleared through Israel’s military censor, he is said to fear being forced to reveal every single source he has when subjected to interrogation should he return. Shin Bet already destroyed his computer, claiming its very existence was a threat to national security.

But where Blau goes from here is unclear. Israel is reportedly planning to attempt to secure his extradition from Britain, likely to be a serious legal battle in and of itself. Barring that, some papers suggest the nation may dispatch Mossad in an attempt to “smuggle” Blau back to Israel.

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