The amended indictment, filed by Adv. Roi Reis from the Central District Attorney’s Office, states that the defendant photographed himself with a handgun he held without a license, his finger on the trigger, while looking seriously at the camera.
Subsequently, the defendant published the photo on his Facebook account, writing alongside it: “Bennett = bullet, Bibi = symbol, scribe, and gold medal.” The defendant even set this threatening post as the permanent background image on the said Facebook account.
The defendant did this against the backdrop of media reports at the time, according to which Bennett and his wife received an envelope containing a death threat letter along with a bullet, and security around the then-prime minister was increased as a result.
This affair later matured into criminal proceedings, in which Ilana Sporta was convicted of extortion by threats and sentenced to eighteen months of actual imprisonment.
At the sentencing stage, the Central District Attorney’s Office requested that the defendant be sentenced to a significant penalty of 30 months of actual imprisonment.
The District Court (per Judge Me’irav Greenberg) sentenced the defendant, as stated, to 18 months of actual imprisonment and a suspended sentence, ruling that “…a threat directed at a public figure in relation to their role is not limited to a threat against the private individual to whom it is directed, but rather harms the order of government and the foundations of the regime. Directing a threat at an elected official seeks to influence their actions, impair their judgment, and thereby harm the democratic process, the voting public, and proper administration.”
The District Court further ruled that “the echo of threats and slander against public figures can incentivize others to commit similar offenses and even, God forbid, legitimize, especially for people holding extreme views, to carry out the threats and use actual violence. These matters gain added weight in the present case, as they were not committed in a vacuum but as a direct continuation of other blatant and serious threats against the then-Prime Minister and his family.”
Adv. Roi Reis from the Central District Attorney’s Office stated after the verdict: “The defendant chose to publish a blatant threat against the then-Prime Minister on social media during a sensitive period. A threatening publication, including the display of a weapon and directing a threat of physical harm and even shooting at an elected official, is a serious act, and the court emphasized in its ruling the severity and potential consequences. Accordingly, the court sentenced the defendant to a significant prison term.”
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