A warning letter before the beginning of legal proceedings was sent to a man who posted fake news and harmful content on Twitter about the Head of Public Health Services Dr. Sharon Alroy Preis, the State Attorney's Office announced on Wednesday.
The man, Avichai Michael Green, tweeted extreme and vulgar threats that clearly exceeded legitimate criticism of public servants, the State Attorney's Tel Aviv District and the Unit for Civil Enforcement wrote in the letter.
Criticism of public servants is a necessary part of democracy, but Green's actions constituted a coordinated attack against Alroy Preis' actions as part of her job to safeguard public health, according to the announcement.
The tweets lead to an erosion of the public's trust in the health officials nominated to protect them, and therefore, in a pandemic, cause even more harm than usual, it said.
The warning letter is the newest development of the increasing incitement and threats against Alroy-Preis that have been going on for months.
Two men were arrested in November for threatening Alroy-Preis on social media, after the Health Ministry previously established a 24/7 hotline where employees could report cases of defamation and intimidation, following a series of violent threats against senior officials.
Alroy-Preis has also been assigned a bodyguard and the Preis home has been equipped with a distress button and reinforced by other security activities for months following serious threats on her life by anti-vaxxers.