The Supreme Court has decided to add one year of prison time to the sentence given to a resident of Israel accused of spying for Syria. The convict, Yusef Shams, is accused of passing information to Syrian agents.
Shams, 57, of Majdal Shams, was convicted of spying four months ago, along with fellow Druze Golan resident Ata Farhat. The two were accused of contacting a senior Syrian military official between June 2006 and July 2007, and of informing him of IDF troop movements and exercises in the Golan and the Galilee.
Shams was sentenced to four years in prison. He appealed the sentence to the Supreme Court, arguing that the lower court had been overly harsh. His actions did not harm the state, Shams argued.
The Supreme Court disagreed, and ruled in favor of state prosecutors, who said the original sentence was too lenient. Shams was sentenced a second time, and this time given five years in prison.
The court expressed concern that the original sentence “is likely to mistakenly imply a forgiving attitude on the part of the legal system regarding crimes of this nature.”