A teenage girl who spat at Joint List MK Ahmed Tibi will not be convicted for the incident, and will instead do 60 hours of community service.
The girl had been indicted after she spat at the controversial MK during a 2012 conference at Bar Ilan University. Following his speech at the conference, the defendant approached Tibi while he was leaving the hall and spat at him.
Tibi, who previously served as an aide to PLO chief and Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, has drawn criticism for his stated goal of stripping Israel of its Jewish character and making it a “state of all its citizens”.
While the prosecution had requested the defendant be convicted, with implications for job prospects in the future, attorney Itamar Ben Gvir, who represented the girl, argued that community service with no conviction would be sufficient given the circumstances. Ben Gvir also noted that Tibi had not filed a criminal complaint over the matter.
Police ultimately accepted the arrangement, agreeing to close the file without a conviction following the satisfactory completion of the community service requirement.
A Tel Aviv court accepted the deal, requiring the defendant to perform 60 hours of community service – without a conviction.