7 years in jail for Israeli Arab who spied for Hezbollah
Resident of Western Galilee, 26, handed over military info, collected details about Peres’s security arrangements
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Milad Muhammad Khatib, 26, of Majd al-Krum in the Western Galilee, was sentenced on Tuesday in the Haifa District Court to seven years in prison and one year of probation for espionage, contact with a foreign agent and conspiracy to aid an enemy in a time of war.
Khatib was arrested in September 2012 and confessed to having conveyed to an agent of the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah information about IDF bases, armaments and arms caches, and the facilities of arms manufacturer Rafael.
He also gathered information about Arab communities in northern Israel and on Arab Knesset members.
Originally, the charges included aiding the enemy in a time of war, but that was reduced to a conspiracy charge as part of a plea bargain.
An investigation by the Shin Bet security service also revealed that, during an August 2012 visit to Khatib’s hometown by President Shimon Peres, Khatib collected intelligence on the president’s security arrangements and itinerary.
Khatib first met with a Hezbollah operative in 2007.
In subsequent meetings in Denmark and Turkey, Khatib was recruited, with the idea of creating Hezbollah cells among Israel’s Arab citizens. He reportedly received a $500 recruitment fee.
Gabe Fisher contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.