NOVANEWS
Haaretz
A Jerusalem resident belonging to the Naturei Karta ultra-Orthodox group has been charged with offering to spy for Iran, it was revealed after a gag order lifted on Thursday.
The man, aged 46, met with Iranian representatives at the Iranian embassy in Berlin in January 2011 and offered his services as a spy against Israel. He has been charged with making contact with a foreign agent and with intent to commit treason.
The accused, whose name has not been released, met with three Iranian representatives at the embassy and reportedly told them that he was opposed to the existence of the state of Israel. He also said he wanted to see the Israeli government replaced with a “government of goyim.”
He reportedly said during interrogation by the Shin Bet security service that his motives were hatred of Israel and the desire for monetary reward.
According to the indictment, the Iranians told the Israeli man at the end of the meeting that they would convey his offer to more senior officials. An Iranian who called himself “Hajj Baba” gave the accused an email address, and instructed him to enter the email account, where a message from them would await him. In addition, he instructed the suspect to be in telephone contact with him through the embassy’s phone number.
On his return to Israel, the accused continued to maintain contact with the Iranians. He checked the mailbox several times from an internet cafe in Jerusalem, and called the Iranian embassy in Berlin twice from public phone booths in the capital.
It appears from the indictment that he was unable to reestablish contact.
The suspect reportedly criticized Iran during his meeting at the Berlin embassy for its inability to protect its own people against Israeli assassins. Asked whether he was not ashamed to criticize Iran while requesting political asylum, the man responded that he did not want political asylum. He also said that he was prepared to kill Zionists.
The accused was arrested two weeks ago, but details of the case were not released for publication under a gag order. The order was lifted Thursday, though the man’s identity remained under seal.
His detention was extended by the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court on Thursday morning.
Attorney Nava Ezra-Rahmani, representing the Israel police, told the court that the evidence against the accused was based on his confession, images on his mobile phone and a note he had received from the Iranians. Other evidence included his plane tickets, his passport and the email mailbox via which he maintained contact with the Iranians.
Judge Yigal Marzel ordered the accused held until further notice. An additional hearing will be held next Monday. “I am satisfied that there is a sufficient evidentiary basis,” the judge said.
Appearing in the accused’s defense, attorney Yair Nahurai said that “the indictment charges him with initiating the contact, but it’s worth noting that the events in question occurred two-and-a-half years ago. In other words, he himself broke off the contact. Additionally, no damage was done and he has not been accused of espionage – only contact with a foreign agent and the intention of spying.”
Naturei Karta is an offshoot of Agudat Yisrael that was established in Jerusalem in 1938. It opposes Zionism and calls for the dismantling of the state of Israel, based on the belief that Jews are forbidden from having a sovereign state before the coming of the messiah.
