A 49-year-old resident of Ein Hahoresh was charged on Sunday with incitement to terrorism and violence over posts on X (formerly Twitter) allegedly calling for the murder of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, coalition politicians, and government supporters.
The State Attorney’s Office filed the indictment against Raz Weinberger in the Petah Tikva Magistrate’s Court and asked that he remain in custody until the end of the proceedings, arguing that the repeated calls for violence posed a danger both through his own potential actions and their influence on others.
The indictment lists 21 posts published between September 10 and October 19, ahead of the election for the 26th Knesset. It charges Weinberger with 10 offenses of incitement to terrorism and 18 of incitement to violence, with some posts forming the basis for both charges.
According to the indictment, Weinberger wrote in a reply to Netanyahu: “Benjamin Netanyahu, the greatest traitor in the country’s history, deserves death.” In another, he allegedly called for Netanyahu, his wife and her two sons to be burned alive.
Other posts allegedly called for the killing of ministers, MKs, and people who expressed support for the government. They included a reply to Likud MK Almog Cohen calling for his beheading and a post directed at Likud MK Tally Gotliv calling for sexual violence against her and for her to be burned.
The account had about 40 followers, according to the indictment, but its posts were publicly accessible. The view counts listed for Weinberger’s replies ranged from 23 to 283. Prosecutors allege that the content and circumstances created a real possibility that the posts would lead to acts of terrorism or violence.
Weinberger was arrested on October 23. In the accompanying detention request, prosecutors said he acknowledged in five police interviews that he had written all the posts using his cellphone.
The request also cites records recovered from the phone linking him to the account. According to an excerpt from his questioning quoted by prosecutors, Weinberger acknowledged that his posts could have influenced others to take the law into their own hands, while saying he hoped they had not.
'A sustained pattern’
Prosecutors acknowledged that Weinberger has no criminal record. They nevertheless argued that the number, repetition and severity of the posts showed a sustained pattern rather than isolated remarks made in the heat of the moment.
They also said he had been trained to use a firearm and had possessed one until recently, arguing that this heightened concern about his ability to carry out the violence himself.
At an earlier remand hearing, his lawyer sought his release to an alternative to detention, citing the account’s limited reach and arguing that Weinberger had not acted to carry out his statements. The lawyer also cited his reserve military service and volunteer work with police.
In Sunday’s request, prosecutors argued that house arrest would not adequately prevent further posts because Weinberger could gain access to the internet through a phone, computer or another available device.
They also argued that the election’s conclusion did not remove the danger, as political tensions could continue during efforts to form a government.