About a week after the gag order was lifted on the case involving Anat Kamm and Haaretz journalist Uri Blau, we know that Kamm remains under house arrest, with stringent restrictions, and that many prominent journalists have signed a petition on behalf of their colleague, Uri Blau, who remains abroad.

The case surrounds Kamm’s tenure as a soldier, serving as a clerk in the office of the IDF Central District Commander, Major-General Yair Naveh, allegedly taking over 2,000 documents, with hundreds containing classified information, passing them to Blau. Blau capitalized on the information and released an expose based on the classified data.

Realizing he was exposed with the lifting of the gag order, Blau, who was in the UK remains there today, waiting to see what awaits him upon his return. Many are demanding that he return and face police, and possibly charges involving security matters and even espionage, but he mainstream media is standing firmly behind its left-wing colleague, calling for a deal that will compel him to turn over all the information received from Kamm in return for total immunity from prosecution.

Colleagues insist that as a journalist he is protected and it is obvious that he in no way attempted to compromise state security and he is not responsible to report receiving the official IDF documents to authorities since as a member of the press, he is permitted and compelled to protect his source.

In the meantime, the media frenzy surrounding the Holyland investigation is providing a good smoke screen for Blau, who remains in the UK, hoping he will cut a deal prior to returning to Israel.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)