Netanyahu instructs to promote lie detection bill to cabinet ministers (Reuters)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government was suffering from a leak epidemic and could not continue like this, and instructed a security official to promote a lie detection bill in the Knesset.

This came in Netanyahu's speech, during the weekly meeting of his cabinet, adding that "the phenomenon of leaks is unbearable, and I do not know of any country in the world where this happens."

Netanyahu instructed National Security Council Chairman Tzachi Hanegbi to promote the lie detector bill, which would require all ministers attending cabinet meetings and security discussions to undergo periodic polygraph tests.

Last week's cabinet session, which saw four ministers in Netanyahu's cabinet attack Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy after announcing his intention to form an investigative team to find out the failures that led to the Oct. 4 attack, was leaked.

The investigation team includes a number of former security officials, including former defense minister and army chief of staff Shaul Mofaz, who will head the team, as well as former head of the Military Intelligence Division Ze'evi Farkash and former commander of the Southern Army Command Sami Torjeman, each of whom will be conducting investigations in his field.

Netanyahu says leaks in his government are unbearable (Reuters)

Polygraph

In November, the Israel Broadcasting Corporation said that under the draft law currently being drafted by the Prime Minister's Office, cabinet participants would be summoned for a polygraph test, in an effort to prevent leaks on security issues discussed at the sessions.

The Israel Broadcasting Corporation added that the prime minister ordered that the Shin Bet security service be responsible for conducting polygraph tests for ministers, but the Shin Bet expressed reservations about doing so.

The ISA quoted General Security as saying that although Shin Bet members also believe that measures should be taken to prevent leaks from cabinet meetings, the agency has reservations about the wording of the law and requests a meeting with the National Security Council on the subject.

The broadcaster noted that it appears from the text of the proposal that all participants in the cabinet hearings, including the government's legal adviser, heads of security services and officials, will be required to pass polygraphy tests, but sources familiar with the details say Netanyahu himself is expected to be exempted from such a test, due to a pacemaker implanted in his chest.

During the weekly meeting of his cabinet, Netanyahu repeated his statements that the war on Gaza will not be stopped until it achieves its goals, adding, "I say we will not stop until we win, it is forbidden to stop the war until it achieves all its goals, eliminating Hamas, returning all our kidnappers, and ensuring that Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel."

Since Oct. 7, the Israeli army has been waging a devastating war on Gaza, leaving 22,835 dead, 58,416 wounded, massive infrastructure destruction and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, according to the Gaza authorities and the United Nations.

Source : Anadolu Agency