Ministry of Justice (Israel)
Israeli government ministry; its 2024 leaked files document the legal design of Israel's covert advocacy programmes
| Ministry of Justice (Israel)
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| Logo | 
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| Type | Government ministry |
| Location | Jerusalem, Israel |
| Key people | Dina Zilber (former Deputy Attorney General); Marlene Mazel |
The Ministry of Justice of Israel is the government ministry responsible for the state's legal affairs. It houses the Attorney General's office and its deputies. In April 2024 the hacking group Anonymous for Justice released a large cache of its files, which Distributed Denial of Secrets later published.[1] The files show ministry lawyers advising on the design of the state–donor propaganda vehicle Kela Shlomo (later Concert), on its exposure under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), and on court challenges to it.
Role in Israel's advocacy programmes
The leaked documents have not been independently verified. According to them:
- January 2018. The Ministry of Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy sought an exemption to hire a US law firm on FARA. Robert Kelner of Covington & Burling was dropped for "policy considerations", and Sandler Reiff was chosen.[2]
- January 2018. Freedom of information requests about Kela Shlomo from the Movement for Freedom of Information and a journalist were refused, except for the release of an opinion by Deputy Attorney General Dina Zilber.[3]
- December 2018. The State's preliminary response to Shachar Ben-Meir's High Court petition, HCJ 3428/18, promised "real and effective supervision" of the venture (translated from Hebrew).[4]
- December 2021. Marlene Mazel and a Foreign Ministry lawyer asked Arnold & Porter (John Bellinger, Amy Jeffress) to review the Concert renewal for FARA concerns.[5]
The 2024 leak
DDoSecrets says the dataset, released by Anonymous for Justice in April 2024, holds 800,000 emails and 200,000 documents. It quotes the Israeli National Cyber Directorate as saying that an investigation had been opened under a gag order.[1]
See also
- Anonymous for Justice
- Dina Zilber
- Marlene Mazel
- Kela Shlomo
- Ministry of Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Distributed Denial of Secrets, Israel Ministry of Justice ddosecrets.org, 25 July 2024, accessed 21 October 2026. DDoSecrets lists the dataset in its "Cyberwar" category, warning of "an increased chance of malware, ulterior motives and altered or implanted data".
- ↑ Israel Ministry of Justice leak (Distributed Denial of Secrets), Ministry of Strategic Affairs revised exemption request (form T-93) to engage a US law firm on FARA, updated 24 January 2018 (Hebrew), Library of Leaks entity 9397718 Library of Leaks, accessed 21 October 2026. Leaked document; authenticity not independently verified.
- ↑ Israel Ministry of Justice leak (Distributed Denial of Secrets), correspondence on freedom of information requests concerning Kela Shlomo, January 2018 (Hebrew), Library of Leaks entity 10893643 Library of Leaks, accessed 21 October 2026. Leaked document; authenticity not independently verified.
- ↑ Israel Ministry of Justice leak (Distributed Denial of Secrets), State's preliminary response in HCJ 3428/18, December 2018 (Hebrew), Library of Leaks entity 9950367 Library of Leaks, accessed 21 October 2026. Leaked document; authenticity not independently verified.
- ↑ Israel Ministry of Justice leak (Distributed Denial of Secrets), email exchange between the Ministry of Justice, the Foreign Ministry and Arnold & Porter, 1–3 December 2021, Library of Leaks entity 10945460 Library of Leaks, accessed 21 October 2026. Leaked document; authenticity not independently verified.