BEN-GVIR'S DRIVER WHO RAN RED LIGHT SAYS HE 'CREPT' INTO INTERSECTION BEFORE CAR CRASH

Ben-Gvir's Driver Who Ran Red Light Says He 'Crept' Into Intersection Before Car Crash

The driver was questioned by police after the accident, which left Israel's national security minister lightly injured. 'Driving under an operational permit does not grant immunity for traffic offenses,' says a lawyer representing the other driver involved in the accident

May 02nd, 12PM May 02nd, 12PM

A lawyer representing the driver of Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir who ran a red light last week and collided with another vehicle said that he "drove according to the rules and crept into the intersection."

The accident left Ben-Gvir, his daughter, a member of his detail and the driver of the other vehicle, lightly injured. Ben-Gvir's driver, Moshe Eichenstein, was questioned by police on Wednesday, and his lawyer said this was his version of events.

According to Eichenstein's lawyer, Shosh Hayoun, he "obeyed the instructions and training he received. He drove with a security vehicle permit, which grants him the authority to run a red light."

She said that, before entering the intersection, Eichenstein "let several vehicles pass before him. As proof, one of them stopped and noted that there was a three-car convoy with sirens and noise." She adds that the driver who hit Ben-Gvir's car "saw the stopped car, went around it and hit the minister's car at a high speed."

On Tuesday, police heard the testimony of the other driver. His lawyer, Rafat Asdi, said, "According to all testimonies, no sirens were heard. The argument is only being made now, in the investigation stage." He adds that "by law, even an operational driver on duty must enter an intersection with the most extreme care. Driving under an operational permit does not grant immunity for traffic offenses."

In June 2022, Eichenstein was convicted of driving at extreme speed and his license was suspended for 50 days. He was caught driving at 147 kilometers per hour (around 90 mph) on Road 60, where the speed limit is 80 kilometers per hour (50 mph).

In addition to the suspension of his license, Eichenstein received a 1,500 shekels fine in a plea bargain after he was caught in a speed trap near a road block in south Hebron Hills. After the judge took "personal circumstances" into account, Eichenstein was also given an additional two-month license suspension should he break speeding laws in the following two years.

The current accident occurred when Ben Gvir was on his way from the scene of a stabbing attack in the city of Ramle in central Israel. Relatives of the other driver involved in the accident said that there was no way that he ran a red light and that he is not that kind of man. They said that Ben-Gvir was returning from the scene and the minister's cars don't stop for traffic lights.

In September, Haaretz reported that the Shin Ben security agency contacted the Prime Minister's Office and the National Security Ministry, following several incidents in which Ben-Gvir's car violated traffic laws.

According to security sources, Ben-Gvir's security guards complained to their superiors at the ministry that he ordered his driver to commit traffic offenses and that the dangerous driving jeopardized him and them. Among other things, the security guards complained that the minister ordered his drivers, who were subordinate to him, to run red lights, drive on the shoulder, and drive at high speeds.

In August, Ben-Gvir's car hit another car carrying a family with three children, after another of the minister's drivers ran a red light at the French Hill intersection in Jerusalem.

In that incident, two of the passengers were injured, but did not need treatment. Ben-Gvir has 79 previous convictions for traffic offenses, and in the past year twice documented himself traveling without wearing a seatbelt in the back seat. Nonetheless, the police avoided citing him, because, according to sources in the organization, they feared his response.

2024-05-02T09:39:09Z dg43tfdfdgfd