The Beersheba District Court on Tuesday handed a 10-year prison sentence to Moti Maman, an Israeli man convicted in December of contacts with Iranian agents, some of them inside Iran, and discussing with them a plot to assassinate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Maman, 73, of Ashdod, was convicted on charges of contact with a foreign agent and entering an enemy state without authorization, after he visited Iran twice and met with Iranian intelligence officials to discuss assassinating senior Israeli public figures including Netanyahu, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, or then-defense minister Yoav Gallant.

“The sentence should reflect a significant element of deterrence and convey a clear and distinct message regarding the punitive price that should be attached to holding illicit and unlawful ties between Israeli citizens and our enemies,” wrote Judge Benny Sagi, president of the court.

It was necessary to give considerable weight to the timing of Maman’s offenses “during a war when Iran is a significant enemy of Israel, and while soldiers are fighting on many fronts,” the court said.

Maman’s interactions with Iranian agents came when Israel was battling Hamas in the Gaza Strip in a war triggered by the Iran-backed terror group’s devastating October, 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel.

In the wake of the Hamas attack, other Iranian proxies including Hezbollah in Lebanon and groups in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen began to launch drone and rocket attacks at Israel in support of Hamas.

Sagi said the fact that Maman showed up for a second meeting in Iran, knowing that it would be similar to the first, during which working for Iran was discussed, showed his “persistence in the improper relationship, even if it was for financial gain.”

On the other hand, Sagi said, he took into consideration the fact that Maman admitted to the crimes and expressed regret.

Prosecutors had asked for 12 years behind bars

Defense attorney Eyal........

© The Times of Israel