Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday called the government ministers for a special meeting, during which he had them sign a document committing them to secrecy. After the ministers signed the document, Netanyahu told them of secret security information regarding Operation Black Belt. Operation Black Belt is the name given to this week's attacks on the Islamic Jihad terror group. The operation was carried out in retaliation for hundreds of rocket attacks on Israeli civilians. Michael Shemesh, a journalist for Kan , reported that prior to the detailed security briefing from Netanyahu, he requested all the ministers sign a document designed to prevent leaks and which would allow polygraph tests in certain situations. Attending the meeting were the head of the National Security Council, the Attorney General, and Netanyahu's military secretary. The ministers who were at the meeting said Netanyahu had applied Section 40 of Basic Law: The Government, which says the Cabinet can allow the Prime Minister to begin an operation and only then update the government and the Knesset. According to the report, Section 40 was applied due to concerns that the security situation would escalate, despite the fact that some of the ministers present were not sure it was necessary.
