Netanyahu aide jailed in leaks case placed under suicide watch

Eli Feldstein, a former spokesman and aide to Prime Minister Netanyahu and a central suspect in the Prime Minister’s Office leaks affair, has been put under suicide prevention watch in prison, the  Prison Service and Hebrew media report.

“Wardens found something in the cell of a security prisoner held in a jail in the south that necessitated, in accordance with the instructions of the prison commander, his immediate transfer to a cell where he could be monitored to prevent a suicide,” the service says in a statement without naming the prisoner.

Hebrew media identify Feldstein.

The reports initially said that a noose had been found in his cell, but later clarified that Feldstein appeared to have taken a rubber frame off the window of the cell, sparking fears he could use it to harm himself.

Yesterday, the State Attorney’s Office informed the court that it intends to prosecute Feldstein and another key suspect over the affair.

Feldstein and the other suspect, whose name has not been released for publication, are suspected of transferring classified information to harm the state, collecting classified material to harm the state, and conspiracy to commit a crime, among other charges.

He is suspected of leaking a classified document to the German newspaper Bild in order to change the public discourse over the fate of the Israeli hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza; have Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar blamed for the impasse in hostage release negotiations; and imply that protests demanding the release the hostages were playing into Hamas’s hands.