MK Meir Porush (United Torah Judaism) submitted a bill to toughen penalties against anyone convicted of contact with a foreign agent on behalf of Iran - explicitly using the legal logic underlying the economic sanctions imposed on yeshiva students who refuse to enlist in the IDF.
The bill would deny those convicted of spying for Iran a range of civilian benefits, including student scholarships, income tax credit points, National Insurance benefits, reduced-price housing, daycare subsidies, public transportation discounts, and assistance in purchasing an apartment.
Porush drew the legal justification for the move directly from the Attorney General’s position, in which she submitted to the Supreme Court a list of “personal enforcement measures" against yeshiva students - based on the assumption that denying economic benefits is a legitimate and proportionate means of deterrence.
"If the legal counsel believes that denying daycare subsidies is a legitimate enforcement tool, then all the more so it should be applied to those who act to harm the State," the bill's explanatory notes state.
"I am certain that the Attorney General’s Office will support the proposal," he said sarcastically, "since it is clear that the bodies responsible for law enforcement wish to stop espionage on behalf of Iran no less than they wish to persecute Torah learners."