An indictment was filed this morning (Monday) at the Haifa District Court against the four individuals who launched flares towards the Prime Minister’s residence in Caesarea: Brigadier General (Res.) Ofer Doron, his son Gal Doron, Amir Sadeh, and Itai Yafe. The four are charged with reckless terrorism, attempted arson, and obstruction of justice.
“They Took an Unreasonable Risk of Igniting a Fire”
The indictment states that the shooting was carried out “for ideological and political motives, aiming to send a message to the Prime Minister and the general public that the protest activity in Caesarea has not ceased and to create a cumulative effect of significant pressure on the Prime Minister that would ultimately promote the protest’s objectives.”
Additionally, it was noted that “the accused even anticipated with near certainty that the execution of the plan would evoke fear or panic in the public, including among those present in the vicinity of the Prime Minister’s residence, as well as the Prime Minister and his family.”
Regarding the charge of obstructing investigations, Brigadier General Ofer Doron and his son Gal were accused of trying to shift the blame to Doron Sr., who, during the investigations, attempted to conceal his son’s involvement in launching the flares. It was further stated that Gal and Ofer Doron wore gloves in an effort to hide their participation in the shooting and that the four were aware that “their actions could cause a fire in a populated area, including around the Prime Minister’s residence, while taking an unreasonable risk for the possibility of causing such an outcome.”
Brigadier General Doron: Apologizes to Security Officials
The prosecution also requested to extend the detention of the four until the end of the proceedings. At a detention extension hearing, Brigadier General Doron spoke in the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court, where he expressed his apologies to the security bodies: “I want to sincerely apologize to the Prime Minister’s security personnel for alarming them greatly,” Doron said, “to the police and the Shin Bet for the tremendous effort they invested in this case and neglected other important matters.” Doron continued, stating, “We set out to conduct a protest action. We intended not to harm populated areas or the vicinity of the Prime Minister’s residence; I will try to understand what went wrong until the end of my days.”
“Long nights in unpleasant cells,” continued the Brigadier General, “We had no intention of harming a symbol of government. This is not the nature of the protest. I always said we must not resort to violence. Given our understanding of the severity of the incident that occurred in the end, even before we understood how bad it looked, we fully cooperated.”
Those in the defendants’ circle also claim that the individuals did not grasp the severity of the incident until it was reported in the media and that they regret and are remorseful for their actions. “They only heard about the damage to the house from the news,” one associate said. “It was a moment of shock for them. None of them believed that this is what happened.” The associate further claimed that they “expressed deep regret and remorse over this and later understood the proportions that were attributed to the act, which they perceive as ‘a silly and unnecessary act.'”
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