Two indicted for ordering stabbing in land dispute

Haim Gavrieli and his alleged accomplice Eitan Buzaglo indicted in Neve Tzedek crime.

By JOANNA PARASZCZUK
Justice gavel court law book judge 311 (photo credit: Thinkstock/Imagebank)
Justice gavel court law book judge 311
(photo credit: Thinkstock/Imagebank)
Neveh Tzedek resident Haim Gavrieli and his alleged accomplice Eitan Buzaglo were indicted in the Tel Aviv District Court on Tuesday for conspiracy to obstruct justice, attempted grievous bodily harm and obstruction of justice. Police say they tried to harm Eli Levy, the head of the Tel Aviv Municipality’s property division, over a land dispute that has dragged on for decades in various courts.
The indictment alleges that Gavrieli paid a “mercenary” to hurt Levy, to prevent him from testifying in court over Gavrieli’s refusal to cooperate with plans to evict him from the 0.35 hectare (0.865 acre) plot on Zarah Barnet Street in the Shabazi area of Neveh Tzedek in south Tel Aviv.
According to the indictment, filed by attorney Oren Paz of the Tel Aviv District Attorney’s office, Gavrieli contacted Buzaglo in June and told him that Levy was due to testify against him in the court case over the land.
Allegedly, Gavrieli then offered Buzaglo and another man, who unknown to them was an undercover police agent now known only as “Alef,” NIS 20,000 each to harm Levy to prevent him from testifying.
The indictment further charges that Gavrieli then gave Buzaglo and Alef details of Levy’s office in Tel Aviv City Hall, and planned to carry out a reconnaissance tour of the building as part of the plans to injure Levy. Gavrieli allegedly also gave Buzaglo and Alef photographs of Levy and of his house to help them identify their target.
It is further alleged that Gavrieli met Buzaglo and Alef several more times to discuss the plot, and gave them a 15- cm. commando knife and instructed them to stab Levy twice in the back and then beat him up so that he would be hospitalized and wheelchair- bound and thus unable to appear in court.
Gavrieli later promised the two men NIS 50,000 for the attack, the indictment alleges.