Likud MK Tally Gotliv triggered a political and legal firestorm on Thursday after publicly revealing the identity of a high-ranking police officer under criminal investigation — in violation of a law that prohibits identifying a suspect within 48 hours of their detention.
The senior law enforcement official under investigation, who holds the rank of deputy commissioner, was detained and questioned under caution by the Department for Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) on Wednesday on suspicion of breach of trust and abuse of authority.
He is alleged to have intervened in a classified Israel Police major crimes unit, Lahav 433, case to assist a businessman believed to be close to him.
Despite a Jerusalem District Court gag order covering most details of the investigation, one of the order’s clauses explicitly excluded the officer’s name from the publication ban. That means, contrary to several reports, Gotliv did not violate the gag order.
Instead, her post ran afoul of a separate provision under Israeli law that forbids publishing the name of a suspect for 48 hours after the start of their initial interrogation, so long as they have not yet appeared in court.
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If a suspect is brought to court within the first 48 hours after their interrogation, their identity can be made public at the conclusion of the hearing. But the police officer suspect has not yet appeared before a judge, since he was released home after his interrogation Wednesday night.
Revealing the official’s identity in a video posted on X, Gotliv — a backbencher with a reputation for rabblerousing — lashed out at DIPI head Keren Bar-Menachem and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, calling them “criminals” and accusing them of leading a baseless, politically motivated investigation.
She later doubled down, alleging “frightening and dangerous corruption” within the system and claiming that the “sin” of the officer in question was his refusal to “stand by in the face of attempts to cover up” the scandal surrounding former military advocate general Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi’s role in the Sde Teiman leak affair.
Likud MK Tally Gotliv, seen in a video in which she reveals the name of a senior police officer under criminal investigation, November 13, 2025. (Screenshot from X)
Gotliv’s remarks drew fierce criticism from Labor MK Naama Lazimi, who has a history of criticizing the right-wing lawmaker.
“Tally Gotliv again breaks a gag order and reveals the identity of the suspected officer in a video she posted,” Lazimi wrote on X. “She cannot be allowed access to classified material.”
Responding to pushback, Gotliv in another post stood by her disclosure of the officer’s identity, calling her critics “morons and sheep.”
“To all the morons and the sheep in the herd, I’m happy to attach Judge Erlich’s decision at the explicit request of the DIPI not to forbid the publication of the name of deputy commissioner…” she wrote, identifying the suspect once again.
Gotliv was tapped last month to join the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, which frequently deals with sensitive matters.
While Lazimi’s accusation about the gag order was inaccurate, Gotliv’s disclosure still appears to have breached the 48-hour confidentiality rule.
Neither DIPI nor the Justice Ministry has commented on whether action may be taken against Gotliv.
MK Naama Lazimi attends a Knesset Finance Committee meeting on July 14, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
The deputy commissioner was released near midnight Wednesday under restrictive conditions, including a nine-day ban from entering police facilities and a prohibition on contacting others involved in the case.
According to the Ynet news outlet, he was detained by DIPI following a workshop for officers holding the rank of deputy commissioner, where investigators waited for the event to end before asking the suspect to come with them. He was then questioned for over seven hours and had his phone confiscated.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, whose ministry oversees the police, has voiced support for the officer, saying he believes in his innocence and opposes his potential suspension.
Police Commissioner Danny Levy, meanwhile, summoned senior command staff for an emergency meeting and was expected to appoint Assistant Commissioner Eli Macmel, currently head of Lahav 433’s National Fraud Investigation Unit, as acting replacement should the officer be suspended pending the investigation.
The Police Internal Investigations Department in Jerusalem, photographed on July 8, 2019. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90/ File)
The latest law enforcement shake-up came amid a High Court battle over who should oversee the probe into Tomer-Yerushalmi’s role in the Sde Teiman leak affair.
That case has deepened tensions between Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Baharav-Miara. During a tense hearing on Tuesday, Supreme Court justices “implored” the opposing sides to come to a compromise agreement by Thursday, though no such agreement has yet been reached.
The legal conflict over who will have authority over the criminal investigation into the leak — and the alleged cover-up — has sparked a severe political furor and laid bare ongoing societal divides over the law enforcement and justice systems.
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