A court granted permission on Monday to reveal the name of the second suspect in the confidential documents leak investigation, identifying him as Aharon Rosenfeld. He stands accused alongside Eli Feldstein.
The prosecution confirmed it would not contest the court’s ruling that allows Rosenfeld’s name to be published, despite his multiple motions to keep his identity hidden.
During yesterday’s hearing on the publication request, Rosenfeld remarked: “The saga continues, everything is out in the media, and I can’t fight for my innocence when I’m in the dark. I cannot fight for my good name. The public needs to know who I am, what I did, and what my intentions were.”
He also noted, “I made a mistake in how I acted and will never do it again. It was important for me to physically attend the hearing today; it didn’t happen. I wanted to say that at the end of the day, I acted throughout my life for the benefit of the country. I served the country in several organizations. I’ve always contributed myself. I miss my family; I have a small child and a wife at home I worry about, and they worry about me. I constantly think about them, and I don’t understand how it turned out that I’m still in detention.”
A statement issued by Rosenfeld’s family read: “Ari Rosenfeld, 30, resident of Ramat Gan. Son of a family of immigrants from the USA. Born and raised in Jerusalem. Graduated in the first class of the haredi military academy ‘Derech HaChaim’ in Yavne and founding generation of the academy. An active volunteer for years in charitable organizations for children with cancer and children with disabilities and special needs. Holder of a bachelor’s degree in psychology and criminology from Bar-Ilan University. Works in a security tech company. Served a continuous service of 3.5 years with several units and received awards and certificates of appreciation for his actions during his service. Married to Avital and father to Avitar, two and a half years old.”
The family stated that his commanders’ endorsements at the conclusion of his mandatory service depicted Ari as someone who “taking initiative and responsibility in professional tasks as part of his role and demonstrated high analysis and thinking abilities. Beyond that, he was an inspiration for contributing to others and caring for them, in his behavior within and outside the army.”
Last week, the wife of the accused, Avital Rosenfeld, spoke at a Knesset session concerning legislation aimed at securing his release from custody.
“I came to voice my husband’s side that cannot be heard. His action was purely for the benefit of the State of Israel, and there’s no dispute about it,” said the wife.
She continued, “He is a law-abiding person whoncares for the hostages. He is a person with public responsibility. He made a mistake and is held in very tough conditions. Prisoners shout at him in jail, ‘The state betrayed you’.”
“I appeal to all Knesset members, we’re not political people, he is far from it. It’s not about politics but about human rights. We just want him to be at home and conduct the trial as normal.”
“How come a person who contributed his soul for ten years experiences such abuse? I appeal to Knesset members from the right and left, please save our home, we have no one else to turn to,” she concluded.
Others who are not identified as either government supporters or supporters of the right have also called for Rosenfeld’s release from detention.
Journalist Raviv Drucker called for action: “Release the accused already. It’s absurd, madness, disgrace, and scandal. What he did was wrong, and he stands trial for that. From here to the grievous decision by Supreme Court Justice Alex Stein, it’s a long way.”
“We’re at war, and because the accused justifies his actions, the judge says not to release him from prison. According to this distorted logic, he will never be released. Stein knows well that detention is not punishment, that the accused will not leak anything, and that he poses no danger to anyone. It’s time for the prosecution to initiate the release of the unfortunate accused,” Drucker said.
{Matzav.com}