Ari Rosenfeld's Name Is A Secret
Israeli Censorship Comedy
From the Times Of Israel:
The Tel Aviv District Court on Sunday agreed to a request from an IDF reservist charged in the Prime Minister’s Office security documents theft and leak scandal who asked to lift a gag order on publishing his name, accepting his right to defend his innocence in the public sphere.
The State Prosecution had opposed the move, claiming it would inevitably lead to the revealing of other secret information to which the intelligence soldier had access during his service.
In its ruling, the court said the gag order will be lifted at noon on Tuesday, giving the prosecution time to file an appeal against the decision. Details such as the soldier’s rank, the material he dealt with, his military past, and his area of expertise will remain prohibited from publication.
The noncommissioned officer was charged last month together with Eli Feldstein, an aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
But the thing is, his identity is so not secret, that not only has everyone on Israeli social media known it for weeks, but the charedi news site Kikar Shaboss did this:
This is like the national security version of requiring people to wear masks during Covid except when they’re eating at the restaurant.
Bonus: If you watch the video at the link, Ari Rosenfeld’s wife testified publicly at a Knesset committee hearing. She only said her first name, so her husband’s identity wasn’t revealed.