Tel Aviv takes legal action against Israeli anti-occupation NGO

Breaking the Silence, a group that collects testimonies from occupation soldiers, may be forced to reveal its sources following a demand by the state attorney who accused the NGO of using anonymous witnesses to falsify accounts and spread lies against Israel.

The NGO regards the move as a clear attempt by Tel Aviv to clamp down its work, its co-founder has said.

Demanding Break the Silence to disclose the identities of soldiers who have spoken to the group of war crimes against Palestinians on the condition of anonymity will result in closing down the NGO, Yehuda Shaul said.

The NGO has provided military veterans a platform to share accounts of their service in the 2014 war in the Gaza Strip and other operations in the occupied West Bank.

The group's work is heavily dependent on protecting the identities of soldiers who come forward, and without guaranteeing them anonymity, a few will be prepared to talk, Shaul said.

"An act like this will shut down Breaking the Silence – no soldier will speak any more if he knows that the next day he can go to prison," Shaul told AFP.

An act like this will shut down Breaking the Silence – no soldier will speak any more if he knows that the next day he can go to prison

The NGO is determined to protect the identities of its sources, he said.

The anonymous testimonies triggered the ire of the state attorney and others after they were published in a book about the 2014 Gaza War, in which 2,251 Palestinians and 73 Israelis died, included allegations of abuse by Israeli soldiers.

The group had faced increased political pressure in Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu resides over one of the most right-wing governments in the country's history.

In March, then defence minister Moshe Yaalon, accused the NGO of "treason" by asking discharged soldiers to reveal classified information, a charge denied by the group.

The Israeli military police has also demanded the names of the NGOs sources – a request it refused.

"Israel believes there is a public interest of the highest degree in clarifying suspicions against the suspect and other involved parties," a statement by the justice ministry on Friday said.

Deliberations will open on Sunday in the Magistrates Court in Petah Tikva, with state attorneys expected to argue their case.

Agencies contributed to this report