Israeli Who Leaked Classified IDF Documents Released From Prison

YERUSHALAYIM

Anat Kamm was released from prison on Sunday after she was sentenced in 2011 to 4.5 years in prison for leaking classified military documents to a reporter for Haaretz.

Earlier this month, the Israel Prison Parole Board approved her early release for good behavior after serving half of her sentence.

Kamm agreed to a plea bargain in 2011 and the more serious charge of espionage, which carries a life sentence, was dropped. Kamm instead entered a plea of guilty to gathering and storing more than 2,000 classified files during her military service.

The documents included files that were leaked to Haaretz journalist Uri Blau and used as the basis for two articles, which claimed the IDF violated High Court rulings restricting the targeted killings of Palestinian terrorists.

During her sentencing, three judges accused Kamm of “cynically exploiting her position,” as the IDF’s OC Central Command secretary, to pass state secrets to Blau.

Kamm’s father, who served as a character witness before the sentencing, said his daughter had not intended to harm state security, but was merely “foolish, stupid, idiotic and vapid.”

However, when passing the sentence, the judges viewed her actions in a far harsher light.

“The claim that this was a mere act of stupidity is disingenuous and is an unconvincing attempt to explain to herself and others things that cannot be in any way justified,” Judge Nurit Ahituv said at the time.

“It is difficult to believe,” Ahituv said, “that the defendant, who has a high level of intelligence, did not understand the meaning, implications and danger of transferring huge amounts of data to a journalist for publication.

“It is impossible to know whether the intelligence [Kamm] gave away has found its way into the hands of foreign agents, hostile or not,” Ahituv added.

Blau was charged with “aggravated espionage,” punishable by seven years in prison. But when he agreed to admit to charges of illegally possessing classified information, prosecutors asked the court for a four-month community service term.

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