An indictment for infiltrating enemy territory and attempting to infiltrate enemy territory was filed on Sunday in the Nazareth Magistrate’s Court against the 25-year-old woman from Modiin Illit who crossed the border into Syria. A gag order is currently in place on further details of the indictment.

Attorneys Anat Yaari and Iyad Azzam from the Public Defender’s Office, who represented the woman, criticized the decision to file an indictment against their client.

“In contrast to past cases in which there was a violation of state security and no indictment was filed against those who crossed the border, in this case, it is clear to all that the woman didn’t harm, and had no intention of harming state security,” they stated. “It is therefore very puzzling that they chose to davka indict a young woman without a criminal record with a complex background. We’ll consider our next legal steps after examing the investigation materials.”

The woman was returned to Israel last month via a deal mediated by Russia in exchange for two Syrian shepherds being held by Israel and the shortening of a sentence of a security prisoner of Syrian nationality. Additionally, according to foreign reports, Israel purchased $1.2 million of Russian Sputnik COVID-19 vaccines for Syria.

An IDF investigation by the Northern Command discovered that the woman crossed the Syrian border in the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights on February 1. After crossing into Syria, she entered the Druze village of Khader. When the villagers realized she was Israeli, they called Syrian security forces who interrogated her on suspicion of being a spy but did not harm her. The Syrians ultimately concluded that the woman had personal issues and was not a threat and informed Israel via Russia that they were holding an Israeli citizen.

The woman has a history of attempting to illegally cross borders into countries hostile to Israel. She attempted to cross into the Gaza Strip twice, once by sea and once by land, as well into Jordan but was caught each time by the IDF or Israel Police. She was also spotted by Hezbollah on the Lebanese border in an SUV in October 2020.

תמונותיה של הצעירה הישראלית כפי שצולמו בידי חיזבאללה באוקטובר 2020 תוך כדי התרעה חמה לפיגוע על גדר גבול לבנון מול הכפר עיטא א שעב. בחיזבאללה חשבו בזמנו שמדובר בלוחמת צהל או אשת מודיעין על אזרחי. הסיפור שונה לגמרי. הצעירה עדיין נמצאת הבוקר בתשאול של השבכ בשל המעבר לסוריה. pic.twitter.com/EmhsBPzcaF

— Or Heller אור הלר (@OrHeller) February 21, 2021

Additionally, her infiltration into Syria was her second attempt at crossing the border.

She told investigators that she crossed the border into Syria because she was “seeking adventure.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)