Elderly Israeli Man Charged for Threatening Defense Minister Over Radio Station Closure

An 84-year-old resident of a kibbutz in the Jezreel Valley has been indicted for allegedly threatening to murder Defense Minister Israel Katz on social media. The indictment, filed in the Nazareth Magistrate's Court, stems from the man's anger over Katz's decision to close the military radio station Galai Tzahal (Army Radio).

According to the indictment, the accused posted on his personal Facebook account, stating his intention to shoot Katz and using offensive language, directly referencing the decision to shut down the station. The post, which contained spelling errors, read, "I intend to shoot Israel Katz, the challenged and ugly man for the idiotic decision to close Galai Tzahal."

The incident began in November of the previous year when the Defense Minister announced the controversial decision to close the station, sparking widespread public outcry. The man's online threat escalated the protest into a serious criminal offense.

Following a report about the threatening post, the Israel Police launched an investigation, located the suspect, and brought him in for questioning. After gathering evidence, the police transferred the findings to the prosecution, which decided to file charges for threats against a public official.

The suspect's attorney, Wassim Daher, argued that his client is a law-abiding, normal citizen with no prior criminal record. He stated that the threats were not serious and were made in a moment of anger due to the public controversy surrounding the station's closure, asserting that the man had no real intention to harm the minister.

It is noteworthy that the decision to close Galai Tzahal also faced legal challenges. In August, the High Court of Justice overturned the closure order, with the judges unanimously ruling that the decision was based on "extraneous and improper considerations" stemming from dissatisfaction with the station's broadcast content.