Shin Bet staffer leaked rescue plans: report

Let us turn our gaze to a horrible affair in Israel, where the very sinews of national security have been frayed by reckless indiscretion. 

An employee of Shin Bet, that storied guardian of the Jewish state’s safety akin to the US's FBI, stands trial for allegedly jeopardizing—yes, endangering—the rescue of four hostages from the clutches of Hamas in Gaza last June. 

According to Hebrew media, this stupid woman, entrusted with secrets that could mean life or death, reportedly whispered details of “Operation Arnon” to her brother and brother-in-law, as if such matters were mere gossip over tea. 

Apparently, she just couldn't help herself. People like her, who have exclusive information and who blab it to others, do so in order to show how they are more special than those they blab it to.

The operation, a daring raid by Israeli special forces, freed Noa Argamani, Shlomi Ziv, Almog Meir Jan, and Andrey Kozlov from their captors. Yet, hours before the mission’s launch, its particulars were splashed across a Telegram group chat, like some tawdry tabloid scoop. 

Holy rubber lips, Batman!

This betrayal, if proven, is not merely a personal failing but a symptom of deeper rot. The Shin Bet, under its embattled director Ronen Bar—who clings to his post thanks to judicial maneuvering after Prime Minister Netanyahu sought his ouster—now reels from scandals involving leaks and other malpractices.

The indictment paints a damning picture: the employee’s relatives, who also were unable to contain their loose lips, passed the secrets onward, until they reached the digital ether, posted online for all to see.

 Astonishingly, the operation proceeded despite this breach, a testament perhaps to Israeli resolve and big balls, or to sheer desperation--or all the above.

The accused now languishes under house arrest, her trial grinding on for nearly ten months. Whether she has confessed, the reports do not say, leaving us to ponder the motives of one who would so cavalierly endanger her nation’s security. 

In an age where trust is as scarce as peace, this case serves as a grim reminder: even those sworn to protect can falter, and the consequences echo far beyond their own disgrace.

If she is proved guilty, one can hope that she gets a just punishment. For me it would be having to meet with those family members and those who were rescued and the family members with loved ones still being held by the Hamassholes.

I have little sympathy for people in highly sensitive positions with privileged, confidential information they find impossible to contain.

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