The government of Israel has increased the period in which documents belonging to intelligence and security agencies can remain secret to 90 years, extending them by 20 years. Until last month, government documents produced by Israeli intelligence agencies, such as its external spy organization, Mossad, or its internal security agency, Shin Bet, could remain hidden from public view for up to 70 years. Last year, however, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's administration commissioned a study on the possibility of extending the classification period for such documents. The Supreme Council of Archives of Israel, a body within the State Archives of Israel that advises the Prime Minister's office on classification matters, recommends extending the classification period by more than five years.
Last month, however, Netanyahu rejected the Supreme Council of Archives' recommendation and managed to pass an amendment to the classification regulations that will keep the documents secret for 90 years from now on. The existence of the amendment was first revealed publicly on Monday this week. In addition to agencies such as Mossad and Shin Bet, the extended regulation will also apply to several cyber-oriented military units, as well as to research institutes and government commissions, including the Israeli Institute for Biological Research and the Commission for L atomic energy. The Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz, which published news on the revised regulation today, said documents from 1949, the year the Shin Bet and Mossad were founded, would be published this year. But they will remain hidden from public view until 2039. Documents relating to more recent cases, such as the death of Ben Zygier, the so-called "prisoner X" of the Mossad, or the assassination of Hamas arms commissioner Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai , which took place in 2010, won't be released until 2100.
President Netanyahu's office said Monday that the amendment's goal was to protect Israel's assets and informants who remain alive or their descendants in foreign countries. He added that many documents produced by Israeli intelligence agencies describe operational methods that were "still in use today" and could therefore "harm national security". Last but not least, the Prime Minister's Office said, some of the information contained in the classified documents “could harm relations with foreign countries.