The State Prosecution submitted a request to revoke the citizenship of Rani Off and Shadi Aidi, who were convicted of planning to disable Cellcom's systems during wartime to aid Hamas. The request, filed at the request of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and with the approval of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, is the first of its kind under the Citizenship Law for breach of allegiance.
The State Prosecution on Wednesday morning filed a precedent-setting request to revoke the citizenship of Rani Off and Shadi Aidi, two former Cellcom employees convicted of plotting to disable the company's telecommunications infrastructure to aid Hamas during wartime. The request, submitted at the direction of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and with the approval of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, is the first of its kind under the Citizenship Law's breach-of-allegiance clause.
The story emerged rapidly. At 11:01 Jerusalem, Channel 12 first reported that the Prime Minister had requested and the Attorney General had approved the revocation. Within minutes, journalist Toviya Yigelnik identified the two prisoners as former Cellcom employees. The State Prosecution then released the full details of the request, specifying that Off and Aidi had planned to shut down Cellcom's systems during a war, with Off maintaining contact with senior Hamas operatives in Turkey. The potential damage was described as high, and the prosecution labeled the actions as "acts of treason."
The request is part of a broader trend of using citizenship revocation for security-related offenses. The Zioneer reported on Wednesday at 12:25 Jerusalem that the filing followed the PM's request and AG's approval. In a separate case, the desk has covered the sentencing of a Druze resident of the Golan Heights to 11 years for espionage for Iran and Syria, highlighting the state's increasing use of legal measures against those who breach loyalty.
The court has not yet ruled on the request. The prisoners remain incarcerated, serving sentences of 11 and 5.5 years respectively.
5 developments
- DevelopingAG seeks gag order barring Netanyahu from speaking with witnesses — Amit Segal
- StrongN12: Two Cellcom employees allegedly plotted to sabotage company networks during war, impacting security forces
- DevelopingMinister Amichai Eliyahu again urges President Herzog to pardon Netanyahu
- StrongBardugo accuses state attorney of undermining democracy by restricting Netanyahu aide's contact
Source and signal
- Internal intake