MK Ghattas reaches plea bargain, will resign from Knesset, serve 2 years in prison

16 March 2017, 9:39 pm

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Knesset member Bassel Ghattas has reached a pleas bargain whereby he will admit to smuggling phones to security prisoners in Israeli jails, resign immediately from the Knesset, and serve a prison sentence.

A full indictment for smuggling phones into prison, giving tools to be used for terrorism, smuggling documents and breach of trust will be served next week, the Attorney General’s office says in a statement.

Under the agreement, Ghattas will agree to a two year prison sentence and a fine a determined by the court.

Footage appearing to show MK Basel Ghattas handing over a package to Palestinian prisoner Walid Daka (Screen capture: Channel 2)

Ghattas, of the Joint (Arab) List’s Balad party, is under a criminal investigation after he was caught on prison surveillance video passing envelopes to Palestinian security prisoners in January.

Police say that Ghattas exploited his position as a member of Knesset, who cannot be subjected to a body search, during a visit to Ketziot Prison last year where he met with Walid Daka, a Palestinian prisoner serving a 37-year sentence for the 1984 abduction and murder of 19-year-old IDF soldier Moshe Tamam. The MK also met with Basel Ben Sulieman Bezre, who is serving a 15-year sentence on a terror conviction.

Ghattas has consistently denied the allegations against him, but has had to contend with video footage that appears to show him smuggling the cellphones into the prison.