Diplomat’s son charged with police assault in US free to serve in Israeli military

The son of an Israeli diplomat charged with driving his motorcycle into an American police officer was told by a judge last week that he had fulfilled his plea agreement terms and was free to leave for Israel later the same evening. Avraham Gil, 19, had told the court that was leaving the US to go and serve in the Israeli military, which is currently engaged in a genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank.

After writing a letter of apology to injured police officer Ruben Zamora last month, Gil told the court that the incident had been a “significant wake-up call” and announced his decision to serve in the Israeli army.

According to the Miami Herald, the state agreed to an exceptionally lenient punishment for Gil. He would avoid prison time by attending traffic school, completing 100 hours of community service, refraining from driving, and donating $500 to the Ryder Trauma Centre at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

After confirming on Wednesday that the Israeli teen had completed the terms of his plea agreement, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Teresa Pooler allowed him to leave. His attorney, Stephen Millan, informed the judge that the family’s visa was set to expire by the end of the month, and they were heading back to Israel immediately after the hearing. Gil and his father, Eli Gil, the Israeli Consulate’s Consul for Administration in Miami, left the courtroom without commenting, reported the newspaper.

The offence took place on the afternoon of 27 January. Sunny Isles Beach police officer Lt. Ruben Zamora was on foot patrol when he saw Gil riding his motorcycle erratically through traffic. Zamora signalled and yelled for Gil to pull over, but the Israeli teen ignored him and hit the officer. Despite his injured leg, Zamora managed to pull Gil to the ground, leading to his arrest on charges of battery and resisting an officer. These charges were later dropped, but the charge of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, which carries a potential three-year prison term, remained.

The court rejected Gil’s attorneys’ immunity claims, resulting in a deal with state prosecutors that allowed Gil to meet the plea conditions and avoid jail time. Moreover, the pre-trial intervention programme, which usually takes six months, was expedited to accommodate the family’s imminent departure from the country.

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