BREAKING NEWS

High Court rejects freeze of Shin Bet surveillance, agrees to later hearing

The High Court of Justice on Tuesday rejected a request to freeze the Shin Bet's surveillance of citizens infected with the coronavirus, but agreed to hold a hearing on the issue on Thursday.
Justice Noam Sohlberg ordered the state to respond to the petition to compel binding oversight of the Shin Bet involvement by the Knesset.
Lawyer Shahar Ben Meir, in conjunction with the Movement for Digital Rights, filed the petition earlier Tuesday demanding that the court freeze Shin Bet surveillance until the Knesset signs off.
Further the petitioners said that the basis for any Shin Bet involvement should be the Shin Bet Law, which includes significant civil liberties protections, and not an emergency order, which contains fewer protections.
There has been significant controversy about whether the government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should have the authority to activate the Shin Bet to perform surveillance of infected citizens prior to the Knesset giving its approval.