NIF Fellow, Shamai K. Leibowitz, receives 20 month jail term

NIF Fellow, Shamai K. Leibowitz, (Yeshayahu Leibowitz's grandson) who worked as a linguist for the FBI was sentenced Monday to 20 months in prison for leaking secret documents to a blogger.

But federal prosecutors in Maryland have remained mum about exactly what was contained in the classified papers that Shamai K. Leibowitz, 39, gave the unnamed blogger in April 2009, while he worked on contract for the FBI. According to court records, the documents concerned "communication intelligence activities."

During a Monday hearing in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Dunne said Leibowitz "betrayed the FBI when he worked there," but offered no details.

U.S. District Judge Alexander Williams Jr. said the response of federal authorities convinced him Leibowitz committed a "very, very serious offense." But the judge said even he does not know what information Leibowitz, a Hebrew scholar, disclosed.

"I don't know what was divulged, other than some documents, and I don't know how it's compromised things," Williams said in court.

Leibowitz, who worked as a lawyer in Israel and has dual U.S. and Israeli citizenship, said in court papers that he worked for the U.S. State Department in 2006, teaching Hebrew and Israeli law and culture to American diplomats. He said he then was hired as a contractor by the U.S. Department of Defense at its Defense Language Institute. (WaPo)

A bit about Leibowitz and the NIF from NGO Monitor:

Leibowitz's anti-Israel activity could hardly have come as a surprise to the NIF Leibowitz came out in favor of economic warfare against Israel several years ago. At the October 2002 Second National Student Conference on the Palestinian Solidarity Movement at the University of Michigan, Leibowitz accepted an invitation to argue for divestment alongside the likes of Sami al-Arien (under indictment for his longtime activities in the service of the Palestine Islamic Jihad terrorist organization).

Leibowitz's legal work in Israel prior to his Fellowship is notable primarily for its political quality, rather than its devotion to civil rights. For several years, Leibowitz has served as counsel for International Solidarity Movement activists who illegally enter the state of Israel in order to foil anti-terror operations. Leibowitz has also attempted to intimidate reporters into silence through libel suits, such as the one he filed on behalf of I.S.M. activist Radhika Sainath against Jerusalem reporter Judy Balint for writing of Sainath's efforts to help Palestinians avoid security checks (The suit was ultimately dismissed.). Employment of the law in order to chill political reportage is generally thought of as inimical to the promotion of civil rights.

Leibowitz achieved public recognition in Israel for his decision to represent Marwan Barghouti, West Bank leader of the terrorist al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade in his murder trial in Israel. Leibowitz apparently took on the representation because of his admiration for his client, and he claimed that trying Barghouti was immoral, since Barghouti was the Palestinian Moses leading his people to liberty (Ha'aretz, 4 Oct. 2002). Leibowitz expanded on the theme in a column published by the Israeli news website nfc.co.il, where he argued that the proper understanding of the Exodus story is that the Almighty acted as a terrorist, killing Egyptian children and innocents as punishment for Egyptian arrogance in lording it over another nation, and it would behoove Israel to ask itself how it has become the Egyptians.

To their credit, NIF has apparently removed all traces of their relationship with Leibowitz, and he doesn't appear on their "Where are the NIF Fellows now?" webpage.

I haven't found any trace of what type of classified information Leibowitz gave to the blogger, or who the blogger is.

Anyone out there know?

I would think that the same way the lefti-wing establishment has disconnected itself from Leibowitz, they should do the same with Anat Kam if she's found guilty.

Leibowitz still writes a blog...I wonder if he'll keep it going in prison? (I think it's his)

hat-tip: DF


One-Click Pro-Israel Activism!
It takes just 1 Click to help Israel!

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד