Israeli gets 4 months in jail for hurling hot tea at Arab MK
Defendant requests leniency while entering plea bargain; Ahmad Tibi, his victim in the 2013 attack, slams light sentence
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An Israeli man was sentenced to four months in prison Tuesday for throwing a cup of hot tea at Joint List MK Ahmad Tibi more than two years ago.
Zion Vaknin pleaded guilty to the assault at the Beersheba Magistrate’s Court as part of a plea agreement, and also received a six-month suspended sentence and an NIS 3,000 suspended fine.
The court ruling says that Tibi suffered burns to his face and eyes as a result of the assault in December 2013 during a rally in Beersheba against the Prawer plan for the settlement of Negev Bedouin, which would have seen the relocation of thousands of Bedouin to government-recognized communities.
Tibi said in response that the man got off easy, and accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of leading a campaign of incitement against Arab MKs.
The defendant chose not to use qualified legal representation throughout the court proceedings, despite repeated explanation of its importance and advantages.
The defendant, 50, described his life as difficult and said he still suffers from trauma caused during his military service in Lebanon. He told the court that he did not plan the attack in advance, but did take responsibility for it and requested that his sentence not be overly severe.
Tibi called the attack a symptom of “ongoing incitement, especially in the political arena, and the delegitimization of elected officials over the sole fact that they think and act differently from the mainstream.”
He said the man who attacked him was of no interest, but “those who incited [his actions] and painted targets on the backs of Arab Knesset members” are of interest. This “chorus of inciters,” he said, is led by Netanyahu.
The Times of Israel Community.