9 feb 2020
Eliezer Berland with his supporters
Supporters riot as Eliezer Berland, 82, arrested with five others, including his wife, in Jerusalem raid; protesters dispersed with stun grenades after two police officers injured; six suspects accused of violations worth hundreds of millions of shekels
An ultra-Orthodox rabbi previously convicted of sexual offences was arrested Sunday morning for alleged financial crimes.
The suspects were arrested on suspicion of fraudulently receiving money and tax evasion involving hundreds of millions of shekels.
Dozens of Berland's supporters rioted during the arrest operation, leaving two police officers lightly injured from thrown stones. video
Officer dispersed the crowd with stun grenades.
The police said the arrests were the culmination of a months-long undercover investigation into the suspects, for suspected criminal offenses, fraudulent receipt of money and serious tax violations over several years.
As the investigation progressed, investigators succeeded in deciphering a strictly hierarchical organization in which each suspected is believed to have had a defined role.
All are suspected of being under the tutelage of Rabbi Berland, a convicted sex offender who has already served a 10-month prison sentence for abusing female acolytes.
The investigation focused on two main avenues. On the criminal side, evidence and testimony were collected against the suspects, who are accused of cynically and cruelly exploiting hundreds of people and their families in their most dire hour of need, demanding tens of thousands of shekels for blessings and healing.
On the financial side, police investigators collaborated with officials from the National Tax Authority and National Insurance Institute in Jerusalem, allegedly exposing the infrastructure for widespread money-laundering activity and tax violations worth hundreds of millions of shekels.
The police said it was a complex and multi-faceted investigation in which the suspects were believed to have used dozens of bank accounts to conduct their operations.
The police said they "intend to use whatever means available to uncover the perpetrators' identities and bring them to justice for their actions. We urge anyone who feels they were the victim of a similar act or of any of the suspects should contact the police as soon as possible in order to give their testimony."
Berland was for years considered one of the most charismatic leaders of the Braslav Hassidic movement, drawing hundreds of followers at his Jerusalem yeshiva, many of whom were newly religious.
In 2012, Berland fled Israel as his sexual assault case developed. He initially went to Morocco - with which Israel has no extradition treaty – but was expelled from the country and moved to Zimbabwe.
There, too, he was arrested and deported, and along with dozens of his followers settled in Johannesburg.
He also later fled from there and headed to the Netherlands. When the State of Israel officially filed for his extradition, he fled again to South Africa, where he was arrested. Eventually he was extradited to Israel in July 2016.
In the same year, he was convicted of indecent acts and assault under a plea bargain. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison, of which he served 10 months.
Supporters riot as Eliezer Berland, 82, arrested with five others, including his wife, in Jerusalem raid; protesters dispersed with stun grenades after two police officers injured; six suspects accused of violations worth hundreds of millions of shekels
An ultra-Orthodox rabbi previously convicted of sexual offences was arrested Sunday morning for alleged financial crimes.
The suspects were arrested on suspicion of fraudulently receiving money and tax evasion involving hundreds of millions of shekels.
Dozens of Berland's supporters rioted during the arrest operation, leaving two police officers lightly injured from thrown stones. video
Officer dispersed the crowd with stun grenades.
The police said the arrests were the culmination of a months-long undercover investigation into the suspects, for suspected criminal offenses, fraudulent receipt of money and serious tax violations over several years.
As the investigation progressed, investigators succeeded in deciphering a strictly hierarchical organization in which each suspected is believed to have had a defined role.
All are suspected of being under the tutelage of Rabbi Berland, a convicted sex offender who has already served a 10-month prison sentence for abusing female acolytes.
The investigation focused on two main avenues. On the criminal side, evidence and testimony were collected against the suspects, who are accused of cynically and cruelly exploiting hundreds of people and their families in their most dire hour of need, demanding tens of thousands of shekels for blessings and healing.
On the financial side, police investigators collaborated with officials from the National Tax Authority and National Insurance Institute in Jerusalem, allegedly exposing the infrastructure for widespread money-laundering activity and tax violations worth hundreds of millions of shekels.
The police said it was a complex and multi-faceted investigation in which the suspects were believed to have used dozens of bank accounts to conduct their operations.
The police said they "intend to use whatever means available to uncover the perpetrators' identities and bring them to justice for their actions. We urge anyone who feels they were the victim of a similar act or of any of the suspects should contact the police as soon as possible in order to give their testimony."
Berland was for years considered one of the most charismatic leaders of the Braslav Hassidic movement, drawing hundreds of followers at his Jerusalem yeshiva, many of whom were newly religious.
In 2012, Berland fled Israel as his sexual assault case developed. He initially went to Morocco - with which Israel has no extradition treaty – but was expelled from the country and moved to Zimbabwe.
There, too, he was arrested and deported, and along with dozens of his followers settled in Johannesburg.
He also later fled from there and headed to the Netherlands. When the State of Israel officially filed for his extradition, he fled again to South Africa, where he was arrested. Eventually he was extradited to Israel in July 2016.
In the same year, he was convicted of indecent acts and assault under a plea bargain. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison, of which he served 10 months.
3 feb 2020
Two weeks after armed security guard uses his weapon to kill his partner, Ministry of Public Security opts to halve the number of security guards allowed to carry a firearm after working hours; 'This decision will surely add to people's security,' says Minister Gilad Erdan
The Ministry of Public Security has decided to tighten gun laws in Israel following the murder of a woman in Petah Tikva by partner who worked as an armed security guard at a school.
Yelena Itzhakbaev, aged 57, was shot dead by 62-year-old Slavic Mavashev at their shared home two weeks ago, making her the fourth person since 2016 to be murdered by a security officer carrying a personal weapon.
Furthermore, between 2002 and 2013 approximately 36 men and women were shot dead by security officers who were carrying a weapon outside of working hours.
In order to lower the number of future gun-related violence, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan decided to cut by 50% the number of security officers allowed carry firearms after working hours.
The security guards who will have to surrender their firearms at the end of the working day are those who work in places that require 24-hour security such as hospitals.
Under the new law, these guards will have to either pass their firearm on to the person who takes over their shift, or to deposit the weapon in a safe located in their workplace.
Guards working in places that do not have 24-hour security, such as educational institutions and places of entertainment, will still be allowed to carry their firearms after working hours.
"This decision will surely add to people's security," said Erdan.
According to a petition submitted to the High Court of Justice by women's rights organizations, 40% of the murders in Israel are committed using a firearm, compared to just 28% in other OECD countries.
In 2014, then-minister Yitzhak Aharonovich decided to allow security guards to carry weapons after hours in order to help combat an ongoing wave of terrorist attacks, calling the move "an immediate response to the worsening security situation."
The Ministry of Public Security has decided to tighten gun laws in Israel following the murder of a woman in Petah Tikva by partner who worked as an armed security guard at a school.
Yelena Itzhakbaev, aged 57, was shot dead by 62-year-old Slavic Mavashev at their shared home two weeks ago, making her the fourth person since 2016 to be murdered by a security officer carrying a personal weapon.
Furthermore, between 2002 and 2013 approximately 36 men and women were shot dead by security officers who were carrying a weapon outside of working hours.
In order to lower the number of future gun-related violence, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan decided to cut by 50% the number of security officers allowed carry firearms after working hours.
The security guards who will have to surrender their firearms at the end of the working day are those who work in places that require 24-hour security such as hospitals.
Under the new law, these guards will have to either pass their firearm on to the person who takes over their shift, or to deposit the weapon in a safe located in their workplace.
Guards working in places that do not have 24-hour security, such as educational institutions and places of entertainment, will still be allowed to carry their firearms after working hours.
"This decision will surely add to people's security," said Erdan.
According to a petition submitted to the High Court of Justice by women's rights organizations, 40% of the murders in Israel are committed using a firearm, compared to just 28% in other OECD countries.
In 2014, then-minister Yitzhak Aharonovich decided to allow security guards to carry weapons after hours in order to help combat an ongoing wave of terrorist attacks, calling the move "an immediate response to the worsening security situation."
31 jan 2020
NSO founder and CEO Shalev Hulio
The FBI was trying to learn whether NSO obtained from American hackers any of the code it needed to infect smartphones, conducting interview with technology experts after Facebook filed a lawsuit accusing NSO of exploiting a flaw in its WhatsApp messaging service to hack 1400 users; NSO said it is not aware of any inquiry
The FBI is investigating the role of Israeli spyware vendor NSO Group Technologies in possible hacks on American residents and companies as well as suspected intelligence gathering on governments, according to four people familiar with the inquiry.
The probe was underway by 2017 when the Federal Bureau of Investigation officials were trying to learn whether NSO obtained from American hackers any of the code it needed to infect smartphones, said one person interviewed by the FBI then and again last year.
NSO said it sells its spy software and technical support exclusively to governments and that those tools are to be used in pursuing suspected terrorists and other criminals. NSO has long maintained that its products cannot target U.S. phone numbers, though some cybersecurity experts have disputed that.
The FBI conducted more interviews with technology industry experts after Facebook filed a lawsuit in October accusing NSO itself of exploiting a flaw in Facebook’s WhatsApp messaging service to hack 1,400 users, according to two people who spoke with agents or Justice Department officials.
NSO said it was not aware of any inquiry.
“We have not been contacted by any U.S. law enforcement at all about any such matters,” NSO said in a statement provided by Mercury Public Affairs strategy firm.
NSO did not answer additional questions about its employee's conduct but previously said government customers are the ones who do the hacking.
A spokeswoman for the FBI said the agency “adheres to DOJ’s policy of neither confirming nor denying the existence of any investigation, so we wouldn’t be able to provide any further comment.”
Reuters could not determine which suspected hacking targets are the top concerns for investigators or what phase the probe is in. But the company is a focus, and a key issue is how involved it has been in specific hacks, the sources said.
Part of the FBI probe has been aimed at understanding NSO’s business operations and the technical assistance it offers customers, according to two sources familiar with the inquiry.
The FBI was trying to learn whether NSO obtained from American hackers any of the code it needed to infect smartphones, conducting interview with technology experts after Facebook filed a lawsuit accusing NSO of exploiting a flaw in its WhatsApp messaging service to hack 1400 users; NSO said it is not aware of any inquiry
The FBI is investigating the role of Israeli spyware vendor NSO Group Technologies in possible hacks on American residents and companies as well as suspected intelligence gathering on governments, according to four people familiar with the inquiry.
The probe was underway by 2017 when the Federal Bureau of Investigation officials were trying to learn whether NSO obtained from American hackers any of the code it needed to infect smartphones, said one person interviewed by the FBI then and again last year.
NSO said it sells its spy software and technical support exclusively to governments and that those tools are to be used in pursuing suspected terrorists and other criminals. NSO has long maintained that its products cannot target U.S. phone numbers, though some cybersecurity experts have disputed that.
The FBI conducted more interviews with technology industry experts after Facebook filed a lawsuit in October accusing NSO itself of exploiting a flaw in Facebook’s WhatsApp messaging service to hack 1,400 users, according to two people who spoke with agents or Justice Department officials.
NSO said it was not aware of any inquiry.
“We have not been contacted by any U.S. law enforcement at all about any such matters,” NSO said in a statement provided by Mercury Public Affairs strategy firm.
NSO did not answer additional questions about its employee's conduct but previously said government customers are the ones who do the hacking.
A spokeswoman for the FBI said the agency “adheres to DOJ’s policy of neither confirming nor denying the existence of any investigation, so we wouldn’t be able to provide any further comment.”
Reuters could not determine which suspected hacking targets are the top concerns for investigators or what phase the probe is in. But the company is a focus, and a key issue is how involved it has been in specific hacks, the sources said.
Part of the FBI probe has been aimed at understanding NSO’s business operations and the technical assistance it offers customers, according to two sources familiar with the inquiry.
27 jan 2020
Police special ops officers searching suspect's home
Soldiers accused of allegedly allowing entry of contraband in return for tens of thousands of shekels while on duty; eight Israeli, 8 Palestinian civilians also arrested
Police arrested on Monday 22 suspects - including six IDF soldiers, eight Israeli civilians and eight Palestinians – on suspicion of operating a smuggling network from the West Bank into Israel.
The group was arrested after Shin Bet security agency and police officers raided their homes in Israel and the West Bank.
A police spokesperson said that the soldiers are accused of allegedly allowing entry of contraband into Israel in return for tens of thousands of shekels while on duty.
The investigation began several months ago after suspicions rose that arms, tobacco products and other goods were smuggled in private and commercial vehicles through passageways connecting Israel to the West Bank, the police said.
IDF's Spokesperson Unit released a statement, saying the IDF will act harshly against those found guilty.
"During the night, in a joint operation of Israeli police and the IDF Unit for Internal Investigations, six soldiers serving at border crossings in the West Bank were arrested for knowingly refraining from conducting security checks as required, with some even taking bribe for their actions," read the statement.
"The IDF considers this type of offenses to be very serious and will act against those found guilty.
We would like to note that this is an unusual event with only a few soldiers suspected to be involved and it does not represent the spirit and conduct of soldiers serving at the border crossings, which deal daily with the security of Israeli citizens and preventing smuggling and terrorist actions.
Soldiers accused of allegedly allowing entry of contraband in return for tens of thousands of shekels while on duty; eight Israeli, 8 Palestinian civilians also arrested
Police arrested on Monday 22 suspects - including six IDF soldiers, eight Israeli civilians and eight Palestinians – on suspicion of operating a smuggling network from the West Bank into Israel.
The group was arrested after Shin Bet security agency and police officers raided their homes in Israel and the West Bank.
A police spokesperson said that the soldiers are accused of allegedly allowing entry of contraband into Israel in return for tens of thousands of shekels while on duty.
The investigation began several months ago after suspicions rose that arms, tobacco products and other goods were smuggled in private and commercial vehicles through passageways connecting Israel to the West Bank, the police said.
IDF's Spokesperson Unit released a statement, saying the IDF will act harshly against those found guilty.
"During the night, in a joint operation of Israeli police and the IDF Unit for Internal Investigations, six soldiers serving at border crossings in the West Bank were arrested for knowingly refraining from conducting security checks as required, with some even taking bribe for their actions," read the statement.
"The IDF considers this type of offenses to be very serious and will act against those found guilty.
We would like to note that this is an unusual event with only a few soldiers suspected to be involved and it does not represent the spirit and conduct of soldiers serving at the border crossings, which deal daily with the security of Israeli citizens and preventing smuggling and terrorist actions.
26 jan 2020
The investigation, which ended about a year ago, is considered a complex wide-reaching; earlier this month Bitan stepped down from his nomination for a ministerial position
Attorney General Avichai Mandleblit announced Sunday his decision to indict Likud MK David Bitan on nine counts of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.
According to the indictment, Bitan is charged with receiving bribes in the sum of NIS 992 thousand ($287 thousand) subject to a pre-indictment hearing that will take place in April.
The investigation of Bitan’s conduct by the police, dubbed case 1803, ended about a year ago and is considered as one of the most complex and wide-reaching probes to have ever taken place in Israel.
The probe included testimonies of over 300 witnesses and investigations of some 80 suspects.
The Likud lawmaker who is a close confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu allegedly accepted bribes in exchange for political favors, as a legislator and deputy mayor of Rishon Lezion.
Ephraim Dimri, a lawyer representing Bitan, dismissed the charges, saying they would be cleared in the pre-indictment hearing.
Earlier this month, Bitan announced he was backing away from his nomination for the position of agriculture minister out of concern that the Supreme Court to block his appointment.
Attorney General Avichai Mandleblit announced Sunday his decision to indict Likud MK David Bitan on nine counts of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.
According to the indictment, Bitan is charged with receiving bribes in the sum of NIS 992 thousand ($287 thousand) subject to a pre-indictment hearing that will take place in April.
The investigation of Bitan’s conduct by the police, dubbed case 1803, ended about a year ago and is considered as one of the most complex and wide-reaching probes to have ever taken place in Israel.
The probe included testimonies of over 300 witnesses and investigations of some 80 suspects.
The Likud lawmaker who is a close confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu allegedly accepted bribes in exchange for political favors, as a legislator and deputy mayor of Rishon Lezion.
Ephraim Dimri, a lawyer representing Bitan, dismissed the charges, saying they would be cleared in the pre-indictment hearing.
Earlier this month, Bitan announced he was backing away from his nomination for the position of agriculture minister out of concern that the Supreme Court to block his appointment.
