Over the last few days, parties on the left and on the right called on the Knesset speaker to form a parliamentary commission of inquiry to investigate blistering reports about the alleged conduct of the Israel Police. According to these reports, the police tracked the movements and activities of civilians by using a spyware app called Pegasus, which it acquired from Israeli technology firm NSO in 2013. The app was allegedly installed in the cell phones of various social activists and mayors without a warrant, as required by law.

Ever since the financial paper Calcalist first published the results of its investigation Jan. 18, more and more disturbing details have come to light. The police were caught with their pants down, and now, given all of their contradictory statements, it seems that a formal investigation is inevitable. It certainly is a rare incident, especially now when the right and the left are united in their outrage.

The right-wing ultra-Orthodox Shas Party in the last two days demanded that the speaker of the Knesset form a parliamentary commission of inquiry to investigate the use of the spyware, its approval and the criteria for using it. It also asked what sanctions will be taken against those responsible for this fiasco. “It is inconceivable that the police would take the law into its own hands, act against the orders of the legislature without any judicial or other significant oversight, resulting in a serious violation of human rights,” the party wrote to the speaker.

Chair of the left-wing Meretz Party, Knesset member Michal Rozin, also called for an investigation. “The report paints a picture of a severe violation of human rights as well as many laws, and a violation of the principle of the rule of law and democratic norms. The use of this spyware app by the police without a warrant is a severe case of it overstepping its authority and a severe assault on the constitutional rights of the individual, chief among them the rights to privacy and freedom of expression. I ask for an urgent investigation into the groups involved in installing the spyware app, which supposedly exceeded their own authority and caused a serious violation of human rights,” she said.