Recriminations in Israel over Australia spy case

Recriminations grew in Israel on Thursday as more details emerged about the mysterious life and death of a prisoner held in top-secret who was believed to be an Australian-Israeli spying for Mossad. As Israel finally admitted it had held a man with dual nationality in solitary confinement on security grounds who later committed suicide, a lawyer who met with him just days earlier said there was no indication the prisoner was planning to take his own life. Prisoner X, who was identified by Australian media as Mossad agent Ben Zygier, is now known to have died in December 2010 while being held in Ayalon prison in Ramle near Tel Aviv in a case which Israel went to extreme lengths to cover up. But given that key details of the case including the reason for his arrest and the circumstances of his apparent suicide are covered by a strict gag order, the answers may remain elusive.  "When I saw him, there was nothing to indicate he was going to commit suicide," said human rights lawyer Avigdor Feldman who met Zygier days before he was found hanged in his cell, which was under 24-hour surveillance. Speaking to army radio, Feldman said he had met Zygier to offer him advice ahead of his trial as talks were under way over a plea bargain. "He appeared rational, focused, he spoke clearly about the issue and didn't exude any sense of self-pity," Feldman said, expressing surprise that a prisoner who was being held in "a cell which was being monitored and checked 24-hours a day, could manage to commit suicide by hanging himself."Until Wednesday night, Israel imposed a complete media blackout on the details of the case, but after easing the restrictions, the justice ministry admitted jailing a man on security grounds who took his life in December 2010.  It said an inquest into his death had rendered a verdict of suicide just six weeks ago. But other details of the case remained under a gag order, leaving what commentators said was a growing list of "numerous and disturbing questions." "Was there an attempt here by the relevant agencies, including the attorney general and the law enforcement organisations, to whitewash the affair and prevent an external investigation into the circumstances of his death?" asked Shimon Shiffer in the top-selling Yediot Aharonot.