Israeli convicted of plotting assassinations for Iran sentenced to 10 years
Court notes Moti Maman twice traveled to Iran while Israel was fighting Iranian proxies; defense says it will appeal ‘disproportionate’ sentence
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 Besserglick said the sentence was “completely disproportionate” and that he would appeal the ruling.
Maman is the first to be convicted among several Israelis who have recently been accused of contact with Iranian agents, some of whom are suspected of taking concrete action, which Besserglick argued makes their cases worse.
“It is unthinkable that Maman will bear the expected punishment of other defendants who are expected to be tried, who, unlike him, are also suspected of serious acts,” he said in a statement.
Maman was arrested in August last year, though the case was only made public a month later.
According to court papers and the investigation, Maman was a businessman who lived for lengthy periods in Turkey, where he had business and social relations with Turkish and Iranian nationals.
In April last year, Maman agreed, through the mediation of two Turkish people, to meet with a rich businessman living in Iran named Eddy, to discuss business activity, the Shin Bet security agency said.
Though they were supposed to meet in Turkey, Eddy said he was not able to leave. In May, Maman was smuggled into Iran, where he met Eddy and another person who identified himself as a member of Iran’s security forces. During that meeting, they discussed carrying out various missions in Israel for the Iranian regime, including placing money or a handgun at specified locations, taking photos of crowded public areas, and threatening other Israeli civilians who were operating on behalf of Iran and did not carry out their missions.
Maman said he would look into it and returned to Turkey and later Israel. In August, he returned to Iran for a second time. He was smuggled into the country via a land crossing from Turkey while hidden inside a truck, according to the investigation.
During meetings at the time, Maman discussed with the Iranians the assassination of senior officials.
The Shin Bet said the assassination plans were seen by the Iranian officials as revenge for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July, which has been attributed to Israel.
It was also suggested that Maman place money at various locations in Israel for others who are being operated by Iran. Other plans suggested in the meeting were for Maman to locate Russians or Americans and task them with assassinating Iranian dissidents in Europe and the US, and to recruit a Mossad member as a double agent.
Also in that meeting, Maman demanded a million dollars in advance, but the Iranian intelligence agents denied his request and said they would contact him in the future, the Shin Bet said.
According to the investigation, before leaving Iran for the second time, Maman was given 5,000 euros by one of the Iranian intelligence agents for participating in the meetings.
Upon returning to Israel in August, he was arrested by Israeli authorities.
Over the past two years, Iranian intelligence operatives have ramped up their efforts to recruit ordinary Israelis as spies in exchange for money.
In March, the State Attorney’s Office filed an indictment at the Beersheba District Court on charges of treason against Eduard Yusupov, a 65-year-old resident of Netivot, for having allegedly conducted spying activities on behalf of Iran.
In January, prosecutors charged two IDF reservists serving in an air defense unit with spying for Iran.
Last December, the police arrested nearly 30 Israelis, mostly Jewish citizens, for espionage activities on behalf of the Islamic Republic.
In most of the cases, the suspects began by carrying out small, innocuous tasks that gradually grew into more serious offenses, like intelligence gathering and assassination plots.
In October 2024, seven Israelis were arrested for allegedly photographing and collecting information on IDF bases and facilities, including the Nevatim and Ramat David air bases, which were targeted by both Iran and Hezbollah in 2024.
Police have cautioned Israeli citizens and residents against “engaging in contact with foreign operatives and carrying out tasks for them,” and have vowed to take harsh legal action against those involved in such activities.
The Times of Israel Community.