An Israeli soldier has been indicted on spying charges for relaying classified military information to extremist West Bank settlers suspected of involvement in attacks on Palestinians.
The Shin Bet, Israel's internal intelligence agency, said today that the 25-year-old man, a resident of the same hardline West Bank settlement of Bat Ayin, acted out of "ideological" reasons and was arrested last month.
A statement says authorities became suspicious after troops were attacked while raiding Bat Ayin to arrest activists believed to have set fire to a mosque in a nearby Palestinian village. It says the activists knew of the operation ahead of time.
The Shin Bet said it views the intelligence leaks severely and that the man's actions had put people's lives in danger.
