Ahead of her appeal against her 4.5 year prison term, Kamm is asking the court to stay her punishment.
By JOANNA PARASZCZUK
In a preliminary Supreme Court appeal hearing on Thursday, Anat Kamm's defense attorney argued that his client was "no risk" and that her prison sentence, due to start on Sunday, should be postponed pending the appeal process. The Supreme Court is expected to make a decision on the matter later on Thursday, and the full appeal will be heard before a panel of three justices at a later date.Kamm was convicted in February under a plea bargain, under which she had pleaded guilty to gathering and storing classified military documents during her mandatory army service and transferring them to Uri Blau, a political affairs reporter for Hebrew daily Haaretz.RELATED:'Media reports on Iran cause 'tremendous damage'"Sides argue over Kamm sentencing behind closed doorsThe plea bargain Kamm signed did not include a deal over sentencing but - significantly - dropped two far more severe charges of deliberately intending to harm state security, an offense which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.Now she is appealing against her four-and-a-half year prison sentence, which she says is ''too harsh."During Thursday's hearing, Kamm's attorney, Ilan Bombach, told Justice Miriam Naor that Kamm had "expressed her sincere regret" for her actions."She has been under house arrest for the past two years under severe conditions, even though she did not reveal anything that was a big deal, we're talking only about esoteric matters," said Bombach.Kamm was concerned that High Court orders were being violated, and so gave Blau the documents and asked him to do something about it, Bombach told the court. That possible violation of High Court orders was a matter that "tormented Kamm's heart", Bombach told Supreme (and High Court) justice Naor.Bombach argued that Kamm had not given Blau the documents for financial reasons, but because he was a political reporter who, he claimed, was "accustomed to receiving security informatio