Israel's 'Prisoner X' was Australian Mossad agent, documentary claims

[Magda Hassan]

Ha! Prisoner dictates terms of imprisonment to prison administration. Non-existent prisoner then kindly became non existent to save family from embarrassment too I suppose. What a trooper! Likely story.

Ben Zygier agreed to be known as Prisoner X to protect family'

AUSTRALIAN Ben Zygier agreed to be known as "Prisoner X" to protect his family and for national security reasons, Public Security Minister Yitzak Aharonovitch told the Israeli parliamentary assembly today.



Ben Zygier agreed to be known as Prisoner X, an Israeli MP has told the Knesset.







In a summary of the case presented to MPs, Mr Aharonovitch said Zygier had all benefits of regular prisoners including access to legal and psychological services but agreed to a false name for privacy and security reasons.
He said Zygier had also agreed to the gag order on all aspects of his case, a decision upheld by the supreme court.
"Let me say clearly there are no anonymous prisoners in Israel,'' he said.
"There is appropriate supervision, laws are followed and there is great concern for the security of the State of Israel which in order to protect sometimes leads to secretive action."
Zygier died in December 2010 in a claimed suicide, but questions have been raised given the secrecy of his jailing and his isolated cell purportedly being suicide-proof.
He said Zygier's suicide was unfortunate but a full report had been prepared by a judge.
The Israeli government is considering partially lifting a gag order on the report in a bid to satisfy pressure from the media and the Australian government for answers to the case.
Mr Aharonovitch reaffirmed Zygier, an alleged Mossad spy who allegedly was leaking information of Israeli espionage operations to ASIO, was given all the normal rights of a prisoner including visits from his family and lawyer and was only tried behind closed doors for national security reasons.
Meanwhile, an inquiry by the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee in to the affair has begun with Israeli Defence Forces censor Brigadier General Sima Vaknin apparently providing evidence.
The committee's meetings are confidential so what he may or may not have said is unknown. It is expected the committee's findings will form the basis for information from Foreign Minister Bob Carr.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-ord...6580841939