Haaretz’s Uri Blau accepts plea bargain over classified documents

JERUSALEM (JTA) – Uri Blau, the Haaretz journalist who accepted classified documents from an Israeli soldier, has agreed to a plea bargain.

Under the deal announced Thursday, Blau reportedly will admit to holding secret intelligence without intent to harm national security and his four-month prison sentence will be commuted to community service. He had faced up to seven years in prison on charges of "severe espionage," which means that he allegedly obtained or kept secret information without authorization, but without intent to harm state security.

Last month, Israeli Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein announced that he would indict Blau, an investigative reporter for Haaretz, for being in possession of thousands of military documents, many of them top secret.

Blau allegedly accepted more than 1,500 classified military documents from Anat Kamm, 22, who is serving a 4 1/2-year prison term after accepting a plea bargain. Kamm had stolen the documents during her military service.