High Court of Justice Ordered 189 Petitioners to Disclose Their Names to David Zini
Israel’s Supreme Court ordered former Shin Bet director Nadav Argaman and 188 additional petitioners to provide the head of the service, David Zini, with a list of their names within one week. However, the prohibition on publishing the list to the general public remains in effect.
Key facts
- •Petitioners: Nadav Argaman and 188 additional people
- •Court: Israel’s Supreme Court, sitting as the High Court of Justice
- •Deadline for providing the names: one week
- •Justices: Yitzhak Amit, Noam Sohlberg, and David Mintz
- •Basis for the application: Contempt of Court Ordinance
- •The case number and exact date of the decision are not stated in the source
Who Was Involved in the Dispute
The petition was filed by former Shin Bet director Nadav Argaman and 188 additional people, including former service employees. The respondents were the government, the prime minister, the Shin Bet, and its head, David Zini.
Why Disclosure of the Names Was Required
Zini demanded to receive the list of petitioners and filed an application under the Contempt of Court Ordinance. In an earlier decision issued in December, the Court noted that the petitioners had not identified a legal norm permitting them to conceal their names from a respondent holding the appropriate security clearance. The Court emphasized that a petition to the Supreme Court is not an anonymous signature campaign, especially when it raises serious allegations against others.
What the Court Ruled
Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit, Deputy President Noam Sohlberg, and Justice David Mintz ordered the petitioners to provide Zini with their names within one week. At the same time, the justices clarified that they were not determining whether the previous decisions already issued had required disclosure of the names to Zini. The source also does not report that the Court found the petitioners guilty of contempt of court.
The List Will Not Be Published to the Public
The decision concerns only the transfer of the names to Zini himself. The prohibition on publishing the list to the public remains in effect. The source does not state the outcome of the main proceedings in the petitions.
What this means for you
A person participating in a petition to the High Court of Justice cannot expect complete anonymity from the opposing party without a concrete legal basis. However, disclosing one’s identity to the respondent does not necessarily constitute permission to publish the details: the Court may keep the names confidential from the general public.
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