Shin Bet blamed for suicide of alleged Jewish informant, lawsuit filed

The family of the Jewish settler, who killed himself roughly two years ago, is suing the security service for 2.5 million NIS.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Old rope with hangman’s noose (illustrative). (photo credit: INGIMAGE)
Old rope with hangman’s noose (illustrative).
(photo credit: INGIMAGE)
Otzma Yehudit party leader and lawyer, Itamar Ben Gvir, and lawyer Yosef Mor filed a lawsuit against the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service, on behalf of the family of a Jewish man living in the West Bank who allegedly killed himself as a result of working for the service as an informant in Havat Gilad.
In recorded telephone conversations, the man can be heard speaking with his handler and telling him he is about to kill himself and that the noose is around his neck, The Jerusalem Posts's sister publication Maariv reported on Sunday.
The argument presented to the court is that the security service should have acted on the spot to save the informant's life. It is unclear why they chose to ignore the warning signs as to the man's mental health.
The family only became aware of this aspect of the man’s life when they received his phone, which contained a recording of the conversation with the operator.
Since the “handler did not lift a finger to stop the suicide,” Ben Gvir argued, he Is “responsible for this meaningless death.”
The Shin Bet's handling of its detainees has come under scrutiny in recent times after the arrest of four suspects earlier this month on alleged 'price tag' crimes.
The suspects alleged that the Shin Bet roughed them up and violated their rights during interrogation, including sleep deprivation, and this case of an informant reportedly killing himself will not help the agency's reputation for unethical practices.