Under the terms of the citation he received, he was required to pay a fixed penalty of £325 within just 14 days. If he failed to meet that deadline and submit payment within that window, the fine would jump to an exceptional sum of £500, approximately 2,000 shekels, payable within 28 days of receiving the penalty notice.
The tourist, recounting the moments when the officer stopped him in an interview with Mako, said he initially had no idea what the officer wanted from him. The officer spoke rapidly, until he used the word "spitting."
At that point, the Israeli tried to explain to the officer that this was not an act done with malice or disregard for regulations. He presented the medical background of the infection from which he was recovering and expressed full remorse and sincerity about the incident.
Despite the explanations, the officer stood his ground, demanded to see identification and a passport, and questioned him about his place of residence and the purpose of his visit to the country. Though he admits the mistake and understands that he violated public law, the tourist expresses considerable frustration over the amount of the fine imposed on him and the rigidity displayed by local enforcement officers.
According to him, he accepts that he should have received a warning or an educational penalty, but the financial punishment imposed on him is clearly disproportionate to the incident. Before returning to Israel, he has already filed an online appeal in an attempt to have the fine overturned.
The Big Ben clock is one of the most famous tourist sites in the world, and the area around it attracts thousands of visitors from across the globe every day. In recent years, London authorities have been tightening enforcement of cleanliness and public order laws in major tourist areas.
