Espionage trial on ex-soldier begins

The trial of a former Israeli soldier who turned over classified military documents to a reporter has begun.

Anat Kamm has admitted to stealing about 2,000 documents, which she downloaded onto two disks, while on military service in the Israeli army’s Central Command. She turned the information over to Ha’aretz reporter Uri Blau, who is staying in London to avoid arrest. Blau gave documents from the disks, which are missing, to Israeli security officials.

Kamm is charged with two counts of aggravated espionage. The first count, punishable by life in prison, involves delivering secret information with the intent to damage state security. The second count, gathering and retaining classified information with the intention of damaging state security, is punishable by up to 15 years.

The court ruled that Kamm must respond to the charges by the beginning of July and that witness testimonies would begin in December, according to the Israeli daily Ha’aretz.

According to police, Kamm told police the Israel Defense Forces committed war crimes and that she appropriated the documents to expose them. — jta