Ze'ev Ben Aryeh

Who is Ze'ev Ben Aryeh?

Ze'ev Ben Aryeh is an Israeli diplomat and the former Israeli ambassador to Belarus. He is alleged to have illegally passed documents regarding the ongoing Israeli criminal investigation of long-term friend Foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman. Ben Aryeh was forced to resign from the foreign ministry on April 3, 2010, over the allegations. The documents he is suspected of passing on were supposed to go to the Belarusian Police.

On May 24, 2010, the Israeli Police recommended Ben Aryeh and Lieberman be indicted on the charge of breach of trust; it was also recommended that Ben Aryeh be charged with obstruction of justice. The case is especially noteworthy because of Lieberman's role as the leader of Yisrael Beiteinu, the third largest party, a fact which left Lieberman Deputy Israeli Prime-Minister. Lieberman is also alleged to have lobbied to place Ben Aryeh in the Minsk embassy.