Attorney General Menachem Mazuz announced Sunday that he may indict MK Said Naffaa (Balad/National Democratic Assembly) for illegally traveling to Syria. Naffaa could be charged with illegal travel to an enemy country, contact with a foreign agent, and aiding others in traveling illegally to an enemy country. Mazuz also plans to charge eight others for allegedly arranging the trip.
Mazuz warned Naffaa of the impending indictment following several meetings with State Prosecutor Moshe Lador and police and intelligence officials. Naffaa is summoned to attend a hearing in which he can present his side of the case to Mazuz before the indictment is filed.
Naffaa visited Syria in September of 2007 without authorization, and allegedly helped hundreds of civilians and Druze religious leaders to travel to Syria without authorization as well. Naffaa says the purpose of his trip was to visit sites considered holy by the Druze religion.
Officials suspect Naffaa of meeting with senior terrorists while in Syria, including Hamas head Khaled Mashaal and Popular Front leader Talel Naji.
Naffaa responded to Mazuz's announcement by accusing the government of political persecution. Members of the Druze community have “a legitimate right to visit the holy sites,” he said.
Naffaa will run in his party's primary elections later in the week. He expressed confidence that Mazuz's announcement would not hurt his chances of winning a high spot on the party list.
Tibi, Taha and Zahalka Get Off
Mazuz also announced that he would close cases against MK Ahmed Tibi (Ra'am Ta'al), MK Wasil Taha (Balad) and MK Jamal Zahalka (Balad). The three faced charges for illegal trips to enemy countries—Tibi for visiting Lebanon in 2005, and Taha and Zahalka for visiting Syria and Lebanon in 2006.
Mazuz said charges against the three would be dropped, due - in part - to the time that had passed since the three traveled. In addition, the three are suspected only of visiting an enemy country without authorization, and not of other security-related crimes, he said. Their files have been turned over to the Knesset Ethics Committee.
While Tibi, Taha and Zahalka will not face criminal charges, any Members of Knesset who visit enemy countries without authorization in the future will face charges, Mazuz warned. In 2008 a law was passed defining illegal travel to an enemy country as unspoken support for war on Israel, and anyone found guilty of visiting an enemy country without authorization cannot serve as an MK. Any future offenders will be tried under the 2008 law.