Moshe Negbi: Anat Kam is Another Ellsberg

This is really funny:

Israel Radio's legal news correspondent, Moshe Negbi, called Tuesday for the government to amend the law, in order to exempt journalists from prosecution on leaking or publishing state secrets. Speaking at a Netanya college, Negbi said that the contention that anyone who possesses or distributes such information is a spy was “ridiculous.”

Negbi compared former IDF soldier Anat Kam, who has admitted to stealing more than 2,000 secret and top secret documents from the IDF, to The New York Times' Daniel Ellsberg, who published the Pentagon Papers, classified documents on America's involvement in the Vietnam War. Ellsberg was tried for espionage. That case was never decided, because the charges against Ellsberg were thrown out of court after it was discovered that the FBI had been illegally wiretapping Ellsberg's conversations with a former State Department employee. Ellsberg, said Negbi, had turned into a “national hero” in the United States.

So what's so funny about this, besides the ridiculous notion that Ellsberg became a national hero? Moshe Negbi was also suspected of abusing his position in the army according to an Arutz 7 News Service report from February 6, 1998:

JUDGE COMPLAINS THAT COMMENTATOR IGNORES THE FACTS

Tel Aviv District Court Justice Amnon Strashnov has submitted a sharp complaint to the Press Council against the prominent left-wing legal affairs commentator Moshe Negbi.

Strashnov says that Negbi, who provides legal commentary for the Israel Television, Voice of Israel Radio, and the Maariv newspaper, systematically ignores the facts in giving his opinions and violates the rules of journalistic etiquette.

Strashnov says that Negbi gives the impression that he barely reads the legal opinions on which he comments.

Two and a half years ago, Arutz-7 was the first to report that Negbi had been discharged from his position as Military Prosecutor in the IDF because he was suspected of having purposely destroying an important legal document.

Yes Mr. Negbi, I'm sure you really identify with Anat's plight!

As an aside, you could say about the entire Anat Kam debacle is a case of "HaGolem 'Kam' Al Yotzro"!