The arms deal, the assassination attempt, and the prison that was shortened to 6 months Israel today

Eli Arish was once one of the more well-known criminals in Jerusalem, but a shooting at him in January 2020 ended his criminal career after leaving him paralyzed in his legs - and indirectly contributed to a major reduction in his sentence for assisting in the sale of an explosive device, after the Supreme Court shortened his prison sentence to only six months this month .

The veteran criminal, whose name was associated with the Jerusalem gang of the beginning of the millennium, was a police target of the Jerusalem Police because of cases of violence, weapons, extortion and drugs in which he was involved - but also of his rivals, who more than once tried to assassinate him. Thus, for example, in November 2005 he was shot and was injured while getting into his car, and five months later a bomb was planted under his car in the street. In this case, his life was saved, luckily, thanks to intelligence that led to the arrest of those responsible for the assassination attempt.

In 2020, the coins in Arish's fate coffers ran out: a shot in the back by an assassin on a motorcycle at the beginning of that year seriously injured him, and a few months later he was also accused of assisting an arms deal made the year before - and this is where our story begins.

are you injured

does not justify

It all started when an undercover police agent asked Marish to purchase an explosive device.

Hela replied that he had a powder from which a tube charge could be made, but the agent wanted a ready-made charge, so Arish directed him to another person, he was called C, and in a three-way meeting it was determined that C would sell the charge to the agent with the help of Arish.

Following this, an indictment was filed against Arish - now Eliyahu Harosh, 57 years old - at the Central District Court in Lod. The representative of the prosecution said that although Harush was only convicted of aiding and abetting, his part in the transaction was significant, as the one who brokered the transaction and even received payment for it indicating his involvement in it. There are no circumstances that justify a departure from the scope of the punishment, either verbally or materially," he noted, "not even due to the medical condition of the defendant, who has 11 convictions for a variety of offenses and six prison terms in his criminal history."

On the other hand, defense attorney Avi Cohen argued that "Roosh should not be considered a criminal but a completely different person, currently in nursing care, unable to act without the help of his family members, suffering severe pain and recognized as having 100% disability.

He committed the act before he was injured, and therefore the change in his medical condition should affect the punishment since for about two and a half years no criminal case was opened against him, and he expresses motivation for treatment and a desire to restore his life."

The district court sentenced Harush to 14 months in prison, noting that "the defendant played a key role in promoting and realizing a deal to sell a powerful explosive device.

Although he neither produced nor sold it, it is evident that he is well versed in the world of weapons.

His status as an assistant was real, and his contribution to the advancement of the deal was substantial."

However, Judge Hagai Tarsi noted: "In the defendant's case, a weighty consideration arises in the penal context, which focuses on his medical condition following his severe injury."

are you injured

Rather a consideration

Attorney Cohen did not give up, and appealed to the Supreme Court.

"It would be right to use the measure of mercy against my client," the defense attorney pointed out, "since he was injured, his entire focus is on restoring his health and taking care of his children. In the assessment of the probation service, his physical limitation helped him to take stock of his conduct over the years, and to understand the prices he pays in the garden."

Finally, Harush's prison term was set at six months, minus two months of his detention.

"Since the incident that is the subject of the indictment in which he was convicted, he has not had any further involvement," the judges reasoned, "and in the totality of the considerations, we believed that in view of the appellant's difficult situation, there is room to ease him significantly."

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