Security Prisoner Classification Sparks Controversy After “Din Rodeif” Request

In a dramatic development, Yisroel Ezagui, who is facing charges of threatening the Israeli Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, has been officially classified as a security prisoner and is now being held under conditions typically reserved for terrorists.

The unusual decision was made by Prison Service Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi after investigators determined that Ezagui had approached the office of the Rishon LeTzion, Rav Yitzchak Yosef, seeking a psak din permitting a “din rodeif” against the Attorney General.

During his interrogation, Ezagui claimed that his words were purely theoretical and that he had no intention of committing any violent act.

“I don’t use weapons, I don’t own weapons, and I’ve never done anything like this,” Ezagui said. “It was just a theoretical idea. I wasn’t planning to do anything.”

He explained that the decision to ask the question was made on the spot and that he fully expected Rav Yosef to forbid it.

When asked why he mentioned the Attorney General specifically, Ezagui responded:
“I didn’t really mean to kill anyone, but in the newspaper, it was only her name that came up. I’m not involved in politics. I don’t know anyone else.”

Pressed about what upset him, he explained simply: “I just feel bad that people are disrespecting talmidei chachomim.”

When investigators questioned what he would have done if Rav Yosef had permitted the action, Ezagui replied: “Look… I imagine a lot of things, but in reality, I don’t think I would have done anything.”

Ezagui recounted that he contacted Rav Yosef’s assistant, presenting the issue as an urgent sha’alah involving pikuach nefesh. According to police, he came prepared with a printed note stating that he would only act if two leading gedolei hador gave explicit approval.

The assistant handed the note to the Rav, who was reportedly shocked. Rav Yosef immediately wrote on the page in his own handwriting: “אסור! אסור! אסור!” (“Forbidden! Forbidden! Forbidden!”) and instructed his staff to alert the authorities right away.

Rav Yosef’s chief of staff, Yitzchak Harush, informed Yehuda Avidan, the Director General of the Ministry of Religious Services, who quickly contacted the Police Commissioner. The threat was then classified as credible and potentially life-threatening.

Ezagui’s attorney, Erez Bar-Tzvi, sharply criticized the classification, arguing that it was a deliberate attempt to sensationalize the incident.

“This is an unreasonable and disproportionate decision,” Bar-Tzvi stated. “My client did not commit any act that justifies being treated like a terrorist. This move is meant solely to create a public impression, and we intend to challenge it in the appropriate courts.”

Authorities, however, maintain that the matter warranted heightened security protocols given the sensitivity of the case and the prominence of those involved.

{Matzav.com Israel}