By: Dim Amor

An "Maakav" (Monitoring) investigation reveals: Nof HaGalil Mayor Ronen Plot, known as "The Boss", and his deputy David Shinan, allegedly manage a network of fictitious profiles on social media with the aim of attacking critics and silencing public criticism. City employees, at taxpayers' expense, are recruited for this effort.

In our in-depth investigation, we uncovered disturbing and concerning conduct at the top of the Nof HaGalil Municipality. Documents and correspondence obtained by our editorial team reveal how, allegedly, Deputy Mayor David Shinan, under the direction of Mayor Ronen Plot, operates a sophisticated network of fictitious profiles on social media. This is done with the aim of harassing public critics and internet users who dare to express criticism about the municipality's conduct.

The information came to "Maakav" from a senior source in the Nof HaGalil Municipality, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation. "I am terrified", the source confessed to me, "after this matter explodes, I will delete this profile and destroy my phone". His words expose the harsh atmosphere prevailing in the municipality, where according to him, "the mayor is a vindictive person".

The investigation reveals how Deputy Mayor David Shinan allegedly approached the city's spokesperson Yigal Stoliarov and other council members, requesting them to create fictitious profiles on social media. The purpose of these profiles was to attack critics of the municipality, primarily Maxim Plastun, a social activist and manager of the Facebook group "Saving Nof HaGalil". Maxim Plastun, an ordinary resident, is described by our sources as a person who regularly challenges the municipality by exposing failures and waging a persistent struggle for transparency and proper administration in the city. Among other things, he criticizes the mayor's priorities and policies. According to the investigation, in response, he became a central target for an organized attack of fake profiles allegedly operated with the knowledge and guidance of senior municipality officials.

The implications are serious: public employees, receiving salaries from taxpayer money, are allegedly recruited for personal political purposes, while illegally using municipal resources. Moreover, according to another senior source in the municipality, the municipal spokesperson's office also manages the mayor's personal page – another example of the misuse of public resources and public employees for the personal-political goals of elected officials.

Profile Forgery: The Municipal Conspiracy

In his initial correspondence, Deputy Mayor David Shinan apparently approached Micha Kupin with a complaint that the latter had created a profile on the social network 'Facebook,' which led to the blocking of a fictitious profile that was in their use.

An analysis of their exchanges allegedly shows that the two arranged a meeting, following which the elected official and city council member transferred a detailed list of fake profiles to Deputy Mayor David Shinan.

Another significant detail is that Micha Kupin informed Shinan about his reserve military service, but explicitly stated that on February 18, 2025, he would be at home. Additionally, Kupin asked: "When will you be at the city offices tomorrow? I want to talk to you about this issue" (referring to the creation of fictitious identities) – allegedly.

During the correspondence in question, a document from Mr. Maxim Plastun was mentioned, as well as the name of Mrs. Anat (presumably, Mrs. Anat Tubol).

• We emphasize that some of the profiles have the same "parent" – that is, the same identifying address (ID 284882215), which is a unique number in the Facebook system similar to an IP address, and it belongs exclusively to the Facebook system – this is a complete fraud that was carried out, among others and not only, by one person.

Deputy Exploits Spokesperson for Profile Forgeries

The second correspondence is with Mr. Yigal Stoliarov (spokesperson), an employee at the Nof HaGalil Municipality who won a tender to perform spokesperson work for the municipality.

However, it appears that Deputy Mayor David Shinan is exploiting the employee for his personal benefit, and allegedly asks him to create fake profiles (see where the public funds collected from property taxes, taxes, etc., are directed) – this conduct is extremely irregular and constitutes a serious offense.

Negative Correspondence and Failure to Report

In the negative correspondence that was provided to us, communication is allegedly documented between Deputy Mayor David Shinan and Mr. Michael Hasler.

Despite Mr. Hasler's explicit refusal to cooperate in this matter, as far as we know, no official report has been filed on the subject, despite the existence of a statutory reporting obligation in this type of matter.

"Maakav" approached attorney Yehoshua Rubin, who explained that this conduct may constitute a violation of several sections of the Penal Code, including: fabrication of evidence (Section 238), obstruction of justice (Section 244), abuse of office power (Section 280), fraud and breach of trust (Section 284), breach of statutory duty (Section 286), deception (Section 416), and impersonation of another person (Section 441).

How Fake Profiles Operate

We hereby bring before the public additional evidence and documentation demonstrating how automated systems ("bots") operate in a hostile manner toward citizens who dare to voice critical opinions.

It is needless to say that all the fictitious profiles were, allegedly, in direct correspondence with Deputy Mayor David Shinan. This is absurd, and even a clear paradox, as Deputy Mayor David Shinan recently published a public post on the subject of fake profiles, apparently and allegedly, out of his personal and in-depth familiarity with the phenomenon.

For the purpose of the investigation, "Maakav" approached all those involved in the affair. The attempt to get a response from Mayor Ronen Plot met with immediate rejection. "Do me a favor, leave me alone", Plot replied to "Maakav's" inquiry, and immediately blocked the reporter's phone number – an action that allegedly constitutes a violation of the law, which requires elected officials not to block the public.

Ms. Anat Tubol, a council member, claimed in her conversation with 'Maakav' that she was not aware of the issue at all. Micha Kupin, another council member, denied any involvement, saying in a phone conversation that "nothing happened." Michael Hasler, a council member from "Yesh Atid", avoided a real phone conversation with me as a "Maakav" journalist. Initially, he asked to postpone the conversation until 6:00 PM, but when I tried to contact him at the appointed time, I discovered that Hasler had blocked me – which allegedly indicates a lack of credibility and even constitutes a violation of the law.

We sensed that the elected official would impose a block on us via phone, but no such block was imposed on the WhatsApp application. Therefore, we sent him a message (18:11): "Hello, Michael. In our previous conversation, you committed to returning to talk, and even to respond at 18:00, but again you are not available — something that was, unfortunately, predictable. However, it is not proper for an elected official to act in a deceitful manner. I learned that you arrived at Ronen Plot's office in the municipality, and may have even received a kind of instruction not to respond. Wishing you a pleasant evening".

Hasler was caught in a lie – this is the example for the younger generation of the "Yesh Atid" party.

The investigation reveals a concerning pattern of behavior in the Nof HaGalil Municipality: when a reliable source in the municipality reports on an urgent meeting held between Hasler, Plot, and spokesperson Orna Yosef Bochabut, apparently in connection with the affair, immediately after "Maakav's" inquiry. "Maakav's" inquiry to Hasler on this matter remained unanswered.

According to the investigation, the main purpose of operating the fictitious profiles was apparently to create a false impression of legitimate public debate. This, in order to pretend that there are many supporters of Plot and his policies, while in practice most of the supportive responses came from those same fake profiles. The responses sometimes included insults and defamation against Plastun and other residents who dared to criticize the municipality's conduct.

For this matter, Yigal Stoliarov, the deputy spokesperson of the municipality in charge of managing the city's social media and also serving as a spokesperson, to whom Shinan allegedly approached with a request to establish fictitious profiles, responded laconically to "Maakav" that he is "in reserve duty".

"Maakav" also approached the municipality's spokesperson's office requesting an official response to the unfolding affair. On April 21, 2025, a detailed inquiry was sent to the director of public relations, Orna Yosef Bochabut, who confirmed at 16:35 that she had received the letter, but claimed she was on a "tour". As of the publication of this investigation, despite her obligation as a public employee to respond to media inquiries, no official response from the municipality to the serious allegations has been received.

In the official inquiry, "Maakav" raised a series of pointed questions to various parties in the municipality, including the mayor, his deputy, the director of public relations, and council members involved in the affair. The questions addressed central issues such as: the operation of fictitious profiles on social networks, the use of public resources to manage personal pages of elected officials, instructions to public employees to perform actions that are not part of their official job definition, and possible damage to public trust.

Our investigation paints a concerning picture of the political situation in Nof HaGalil; in fact, under the leadership of Ronen Plot, a system has allegedly developed that works to silence criticism through methods that raise ethical and legal questions alike.

Our sources indicate that the political situation in the city is particularly concerning – Plot has an absolute majority in the city council, with 11 mandates for his faction, 2 mandates for a religious faction supporting him, and 4 mandates for an Arab faction in his coalition. Thus, out of 17 mandates in the council, all are in the coalition, and there is no significant opposition in the city. As a result, all council decisions are made unanimously, without significant criticism or oversight.

In addition, a harsh picture emerges regarding the Nof HaGalil Municipality's conduct towards its critics: against Maxim Plastun, a prominent social activist who criticizes the mayor and his policies, lawsuits have been filed for considerable amounts – so far, totaling about 760,000 shekels. Among the plaintiffs are Mayor Ronen Plot himself, the Local Planning and Building Committee, and Deputy Mayor Awada Shukri.

The implication is that Plastun has had to spend over 60,000 shekels so far on legal defense, with almost his entire salary dedicated to financing his public struggle. Moreover, he bears a heavy personal price in terms of his health, mental strength, and dealing with offensive publications attributed to David Shinan.

What is revealed here is allegedly an entire system designed to silence public criticism, through the use of fictitious profiles on social networks, strategic lawsuits against critical citizens, and the use of public employees for personal political purposes.

For a full understanding of the power map in the city, it is important to note the political background of the main parties involved in the affair: David Shinan is a member of the "Likud" party; David Micha also belongs to the "Likud" party; Michael Hasler is a member of the "Yesh Atid" party; and Ronen Plot, who previously served as the Director General of the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, as the Director General of the Ministry of Information and Diaspora, and as the Director General of the Knesset, was previously a member of the "Labor" party and today belongs to the "Likud" party and serves as the mayor of Nof HaGalil.

"Maakav" continues to follow the development of the affair and calls on law enforcement agencies to examine the concerning findings that emerged in this investigation. This conduct, if proven true, constitutes a serious violation of the values of transparency, ethics, and democracy, and requires the intervention of supervisory and enforcement bodies.

In fact, as a journalist at "Maakav", I am aware of the paramount importance of freedom of expression and public criticism in the democratic field. The fight against means aimed at silencing legitimate public criticism will continue to be at the top of our journalistic priorities, for the protection of the principles of transparency, democracy, and the public's undisputed right to know.

Responses:

Some of the responses were published during the article, the spokesperson of the Nof HaGalil Municipality did not bother to respond (the speaking silence), the "Yesh Atid" party received an inquiry and has not yet responded, the "Likud" party also did not provide a response.

Mr. Maxim Plastun told "Maakav": "For a long time, I have been exposed to fictitious accounts responding in the Facebook group I manage and trying to defame me and my group publicly. I can only guess that these are people who don't like my criticisms and the criticisms of the city's residents about what's happening in the city from all aspects! I was surprised to hear that the deputy mayor allegedly manages fictitious accounts against me and gives instructions to city employees, which is very serious, and to elected officials to respond against me! The moment the article is published, I will look at the material and consider my next steps".

The photographs below were taken from the Facebook pages of Ronen Plot, Michael Hasler, David Shinan, and Micha Kupin, in accordance with the provisions of Section 27a of the Copyright Law.

Documents, photos, recordings, and additional evidence are attached at the following link (the original article was published in Hebrew) – click here