Seven members of alleged extremist Jewish terror cell indicted in Israeli court
Published April 25, 2016
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Seven members of an alleged extremist Jewish terror cell were indicted in an Israeli court.
The cell, including an Israeli soldier and two minors, are accused of setting Palestinian vehicles on fire, throwing firebombs at Palestinian homes and assaulting Palestinians. They also are charged with membership in an illegal organization and causing grave bodily harm. They were indicted Monday in Petah Tikvah District Court.
The seven were arrested earlier this month in a joint operation of the Shin Bet security services and the Israel Police.
The alleged attacks took place in the Gush Talmonim area near Ramallah. In addition to confessing to the crimes, some of the cell members reenacted their actions at the scenes of the attacks, the Shin Bet said.
The Shin Bet described the cell as “extreme and violent” and said it “systematically harmed Palestinians and their property, with full knowledge that human lives could be harmed, even after the result of the arson attack on a home in Duma.”
The July firebombing of a Palestinian home in the West Bank village of Duma killed a Palestinian baby and his parents, and seriously wounded his brother. The Shin Bet said the attack was an “inspiration” to the suspects.
The suspects have been identified as an IDF soldier in the Netzah Yehuda infantry battalion whose name is under a gag order, Yisrael Shendrofi, from the settlement of Nahliel, his brother Pinhas, Michael Kaplan from Beit Shemesh, Itamar Ben Aharon from Jerusalem, Shneor Dana from the settlement of Ma’ale Efraim and two minors whose names are being withheld from the public.
