Summary
Former Chief State Archivist who signed a document empowering DSDE teams to act on his behalf, then concluded, after an ISA legal review prompted by the Truman Institute’s refusal, that their operations in archives are not legally sanctioned (Silencing: DSDE’s Concealment of Documents in Archives, PDF p.2, 9-10).
Details
- On signing: the teams came to him on his taking office saying a new state archivist’s signature was needed instead of his predecessor’s; “No one hands anything over to the ISA. They put it in the vault and exercise caution. So, I signed, why not” (PDF p.9, conversation of June 8, 2017).
- He states he was not the teams’ manager, received no work plan from them, and had not looked into rumours that they closed material beyond the “core issue” (PDF p.9).
- After Prof. Menahem Blondheim contacted him, he and the ISA legal department looked into the operations and concluded the DSDE operations are not legally sanctioned and the Chief State Archivist has no legal power to delegate DSDE staff to work in public and private archives (PDF p.10).
- His stated conclusion: “If I had been asked to extend the letter of authorization, I would not have done it. When I leave this position, I will advise my successor to look into the matter very carefully before doing so” (PDF p.10).
- Even after that finding, he did not contact the archives to warn them of the lack of legal basis, nor instruct directors how to respond (PDF p.10).
- On his account, during his tenure he had no involvement in the DSDE’s activities in the ISA branches and was not briefed on them (PDF p.12).
- His name is spelled “Yaakov Lazovik” in the report’s note 4 (PDF p.3), against “Lozowick” in the body; both forms stand as printed.
Related pages
Silencing: DSDE’s Concealment of Documents in Archives, Israel State Archive, Director of Security of the Defense Establishment, Archives Law 1955