Shin Bet Arrests "Jewish Terror Cell" for Attacks Against Palestinians

Jerusalem, 20 April, 2016 (TPS) -- The Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) released for publication on Wednesday that it has arrested members of what it called a “Jewish terror cell,” including at least six individuals who carried out attacks against Palestinians during the second half of 2015.

The alleged attacks all occurred in the Talmonim bloc, northwest of Ramallah. Most of the suspects are residents of the community of Nahliel.

The Honenu legal rights organization claimed in response to the Shin Bet announcement that the suspects were not allowed to meet with a lawyer for over ten days and that they may have given false confessions.

The Shin Bet claimed that the cell was responsible for an attack in November, 2015 in which firebombs were thrown into a Palestinian family’s home in the village of al-Mazraa al-Qabaliya. The firebomb hit a window without entering the building and did not result in casualties. The phrases “death to Arabs” and “revenge” were sprayed in Hebrew graffiti on the building.

According to the Shin Bet, the cell also committed an attack in the village of Beitillu in December, 2015. Smoke bombs were thrown into a house as a family slept inside. Hebrew graffiti, including the word “revenge”, was also sprayed on the building. No one was injured in the incident.

Additionally, the cell burned several Palestinian cars and attacked a farmer with sticks and tear gas.

The suspects are 20-year-old Itamar Ben Aharon and Michael Kaplan, 22-year-old Pinhas Shandorfi, a 19-year-old soldier, and two minors. The identities of the latter three are restricted from publication by a court gag order.

The Shin Bet statement said that the suspects confessed to the allegations and that reenactments of the incidents “revealed an extremist violent organization that was fully aware of the possibility that their acts may have killed people. The arrests prevented further attacks.”

“Most of the offenses discussed in this case did not involve casualties and are no more than quarrels,” responded attorney Aaron Rosa, who is representing some of the suspects. “This system of preventing a suspect from meeting with his lawyer in every security-related investigation is wrong. This may result in false confessions and is a disaster for democracy.”

The suspects face indictment in the upcoming days.