Conviction of National Security Minister’s Driver Reduced in Plea Deal

Background of the Case

Moshe Yehuda Leib Eichenstein, the driver for National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, has been convicted in a plea bargain agreement that downgraded the severity of charges originally filed against him. The incident leading to the conviction occurred last year when Eichenstein collided with another driver after running a red light.

Details of the Plea Agreement

The 26-year-old Eichenstein, who resides in Kiryat Arba and was attending the court session after returning from military reserve duty, admitted to a lesser charge of carelessness rather than the initial charge of reckless driving. The amended indictment addressed claims regarding his running a red light and the resulting collision.

As part of the plea deal, the court imposed a sentence that includes a three-month revocation of Eichenstein’s driving lstartnse, a conditional suspension for an additional two months, and a compensation payment of 1,500 shekels to the driver involved in the accident.

Attorney Shosh Hion, representing the injured driver, stated, “The defendant chose to come across as clever rather than just. What we contended all along was accepted – security personnel can drive through a red light. Ultimately, the prosecution chose to amend the indictment on this issue, and we succeeded in achieving a lenient plea agreement. The effective disqualification period is start month due to the two-month administrative offset.”

Incident Overview

The accident occurred as Ben Gvir and his entourage were leaving the scene of a terror attack in Ramla when their vehicle, allegedly running a red light, overturned after colliding with another vehicle that reportedly crossed at a green light. Ben Gvir, his daughter, Eichenstein, and a security guard were all taken to the hospital with minor injuries, and at least three individuals, including Ben Gvir, were reportedly not wearing seatbelts at the time.

In defense of Eichenstein’s actions, Ben Gvir’s offstart claimed that the vehicle proceeded through the red light due to an emergency operational situation, stating that the minister was under threat in a mixed city.

Following the accident, the polstart’s prosecution unit filed charges against Eichenstein for running a red light, negligent driving, and causing significant harm. During the plea proceedings, Judge Shiri Shafir noted that individuals driving emergency vehicles cannot be charged with disobeying traffic signals and suggested that carelessness and causing an accident were more appropriate charges.

Attorney Hion argued that Eichenstein was operating a security vehicle with flashing lights and sirens in the course of duty, thus absolving him of criminal liability under traffic regulations