A former Border Police officer was indicted on Wednesday on multiple counts of sexually harassing a child under 14 through Instagram, the Justice Ministry’s Police Investigation Department (PID) announced on Thursday.
The indictment alleges that Yazan Goaya repeatedly proposed meeting the minor for sexual activity, offered money, requested photographs, and sent sexually explicit messages - even after being told that the child had not yet turned 14.
The charge sheet does not allege that a meeting or physical contact ultimately took place.
The indictment was filed with the Nazareth Magistrate’s Court by attorney Hila Cohen of the PID, the body responsible for investigating suspected criminal misconduct by police officers.
Goaya served at the time in the Jerusalem Border Police, according to the indictment.
Knowingly, repeatedly suggested meeting for sex with a minor
Prosecutors said they could not determine the precise dates of the alleged correspondence but that it occurred before September 15, 2024. The indictment was filed on August 12, 2026, nearly two years after the latest date provided for the correspondence.
Neither the indictment nor the department’s announcement explains the length of time between the alleged conduct and the filing of charges.
According to the charge sheet, Goaya knew the minor was under 14 but repeatedly suggested meeting for sex and proposed that the child come to his home and stay overnight.
He allegedly asked whether the minor had previously met or had sexual relations with adults, explained sexual acts, and continued sending explicit messages after the child disclosed their age and provided a date of birth.
The indictment further alleges that Goaya attempted to obtain the Instagram account of another minor for a proposed sexual encounter while continuing to make sexual proposals to the first child and offering money.
Goaya is charged under provisions of the Prevention of Sexual Harassment Law covering repeated sexual proposals and repeated comments focusing on another person’s sexuality.
Under the law, such conduct toward a child under 15 may constitute sexual harassment even if the child did not expressly indicate that the attention was unwanted, provided that the alleged harasser is not also a minor.
The investigation was conducted by the Jerusalem team of the PID. Prosecutors notified the court that they may seek a prison sentence if Goaya is convicted.
PID's institutional future in question
PID’s institutional future is currently before the High Court of Justice following the passage of legislation in June separating the department from the State Attorney’s Office and establishing it as a separate Justice Ministry investigation and prosecution body.
Supporters of the law, including its sponsor, Likud MK and former PID deputy director Moshe Saada, argue that the existing arrangement creates an inherent conflict because prosecutors routinely work with police officers while overseeing the department responsible for investigating them. The legislation passed 43-39 and gives the restructured department its own budget and authority to investigate and prosecute suspected crimes by police officers.
Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara and petitioners challenging the law argue that the new structure would replace that potential conflict with political dependence. They have pointed to the justice minister’s influence over the appointment mechanism, the ministry’s control of the department’s budget, and the transfer of powers currently exercised by the attorney-general and state attorney.
Baharav-Miara has asked the High Court to freeze implementation of the law while three petitions against it are considered. Earlier this month, the court ordered Justice Minister Yariv Levin to clarify whether he intended to advance appointments to the restructured department before the October 27 election. The court has not yet ruled on the petitions’ merits.