Israeli citizen indicted for ‘spying’ for Iran is identified

ISRAEL Israeli activist Ayman Haj Yahya has been identified as the individual indicted for allegedly spying for Iran after he was arrested on March 16 by the internal security agency Shin Bet and Israeli police. Haj Yahya (a wellknown political leader and activist within the Palestinian community in Israel) was accused of having contacts with Iranian intelligence to recruit Arab citizens in Israel. He was charged in court in the central city of Lod with “serious infringement of the security” of Israel on Sunday. Israeli authorities allege that Haj Yahya was in contact with Iranian agents during a trip to Europe and also communicated with a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) group in Lebanon. Haj Yahya had been a leading member of the Arabnationalist political party Balad that won three seats in the Israeli Knesset in the last election. Balad is part of the Joint List alliance, which collectively won 15 seats, making it the thirdlargest political party in Israel. Haj Yahya left Balad in 2014 over the party’s position on the Syrian civil war to establish his own political movement, which advocated for a boycott of elections and Palestinian

integration into Israel’s political system. A senior member of Balad, speaking to Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case, said the allegations against Haj Yahya were “political charges”. “Nevertheless, Haj Yahya faces a very serious case,” he said. A request for comment from Israeli police was not answered by the time of publication. (Aljazeera)