Monzer Galaita, an Arab resident of eastern Jerusalem, on October 10, 2023, posted a video showing masked men holding a severed head and the inscription “Islamic Jihad” in the background. According to Kan 11 News, the source of the video is not clear, and it may not have been shot in the Gaza envelope settlements on October 7. Be that as it may, the Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office reached a plea agreement with the accused, according to which he will be sent to ten months in prison.
This is an unprecedented punishment for a single incident of incitement on social networks, which used to end with a suspended prison sentence. The Jerusalem district attorney’s office has another 80 indictments for incitement offenses since October 7, and the Galaita sentence is a sign of things to come with a new policy of strict punishments.
In addition to the video of the severed head, Galaita added a flame emoji, the emoji of a hand signaling “wait,” a black heart emoji, and images from the October 7 atrocities.
The 80 indictments were selected from some 300 incitement complaints.
