'Police have Galant document’

Top IDF officers asked whether paper is a forgery, how it was leaked.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
Galant 311 (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
Galant 311
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
Detectives from the National Serious and International Crimes Unit investigating the “Galant document” affair have independently obtained a copy of the controversial paper, despite attempts by Channel 2 News to prevent police from doing so, a former senior police officer told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.
First revealed on a Channel 2 news broadcast on August 6, the document purports to show that Arad Communications, a public relations firm, drew up plans to damage the reputations of senior IDF officers in a bid to promote OC Southern Command Maj.- Gen. Yoav Galant’s candidacy for chief of General Staff.
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Police are seeking to ascertain whether the document was forged, and whether army or public officials misused their offices to create it or leak it.
Earlier on Sunday, a police representative told the Petah Tikva District Court that a significant development had occurred in the investigation, and that police no longer felt it was essential to obtain Channel 2’s copy of the document at this time.
Channel 2’s copy was deposited in a safe at the court last week, as authorities and broadcast chiefs argued in court over whether it could be handed over. Channel 2 resisted demands to turn over the document to police, saying it intended to protect the identity of its sources.
“The Galant document does not include a personal signature or a classification number. It is a computer-generated document that is easy to copy,” said former National Fraud Unit investigator Dep.- Cmdr. (ret.) Boaz Guttman.
“Copies of the document exist on other computers belonging to those involved in the affair,” he added.
The police’s success in obtaining a copy led the police representative in court to downplay the importance of winning a court battle against Channel 2 and obtaining the media outlet’s document, Guttman said.
“When we look at intrigues, there is no such thing as a document without copies,” Guttman said. “People involved in intrigues are usually paranoid and save copies of documents for themselves.”
Meanwhile, senior IDF officers continue to be questioned by police as part of the investigation. The police reportedly plan to call on IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi to answer questions.
According to a Channel 1 report Friday, IDF Spokesman Avi Benayahu was questioned on three or four occasions last week.
Both Ashkenazi and Benayahu are seen as bitter rivals of Galant.
Senior military officials will be asked if they knew of the existence of the document before it was leaked to the media, Channel 2 reported Sunday.
Other questions will attempt to map out links between senior IDF officers and public relations offices, as well rivalries at the helm of the IDF. The police will reportedly also ask about possible motives for forging and leaking the document.
Jerusalem Post staff contributed to this report.