The Central District Court in Lod has reached a decision in the mobile phone case that has roiled the legal and public spheres since January 2019. In a landmark ruling delivered by Judge Oren Schwartz, it was determined that former Galei Tzahal reporter Hadas Shteif and the military broadcasting station—for whose operations the State is responsible—must compensate the former chairman of the Israel Bar Association, attorney Efi Nave, in the total amount of approximately NIS 600,000.
The judgment sets clear boundaries regarding the involvement of media outlets and state personnel in committing criminal offenses to obtain information. The affair began during the complex divorce proceedings of Attorney Nave, during which his mobile phones came into the possession of his ex-wife, Hani Nave. According to the court's findings, the devices were transferred to Hadas Shteif, who did not merely act as a passive journalist but actively engaged to facilitate the technological security breach of the devices.
Judge Schwartz emphasized that Shteif acted as the intermediary who initiated the criminal activity and the transfer of confidential materials for internal review within the military station. The ruling criticized the State's conduct on two main fronts. The first concerns the granting of immunity to Shteif from prosecution in exchange for handing over the devices and materials, a move that led to a criminal investigation against Attorney Nave, which was later closed.
The second front concerns the State's vicarious liability as the employer of Shteif at Galei Tzahal. The court rejected defense arguments regarding "public interest" or journalistic privilege, ruling that a state body and its journalists are not permitted to violate the Computers Law and the Wiretapping Law. The judge noted that the intrusion into personal information caused substantial and irreversible damage to Attorney Nave's autonomy, and that a divorce agreement does not grant authority to transfer private information to a third party.
Consequently, the State and Shteif were ordered to pay Attorney Nave NIS 450,000 plus legal expenses and attorney fees. Additionally, Shteif was ordered to pay NIS 25,000 for a defamatory post on Facebook. Lawsuits filed against other journalists at the station were dismissed after it was found they received the information in good faith. The lawsuit was managed by attorneys Boaz Ben Zur, Guy Roah, and Hadar Goldstein. The verdict serves as a warning regarding how media outlets operate to collect information and redefines the boundaries of what is permissible for reporters operating under the auspices of the State.