In a case that dramatically illustrates the conflicting loyalties among Israel's ethnic minorities, four Arab teenagers with Israeli citizenship from the Galilee town of Dir Hana were arrested by Israeli security forces and charged with planting a large bomb at the Golani junction on Friday, discovered by an Israel soldier of Bedouin descent. The brother of one of the arrested youths serves in an IDF combat unit.

The members of the terror cell, three of whom are 16 years old (their identities have not been revealed because they are minors) reportedly received instructions and explosives from their handlers, members of the Tanzim militant group, in the West Bank town of Jenin, popularly known as "suicide city" due to the large number of suicide bombers who live in, and leave from, that city on their way to targets in Israel.

A statement from the Israel Security Agency or ISA (formerly known as the GSS or "Shin Bet" in Hebrew), which conducted the investigation, reported that in Jenin, cell members met with Muhammad Abu Tul and Ba'a Karim Aouis, known Fatah Tanzim militants, who proposed that the youths join the organization. They agreed to carry out attacks, including planting bombs in crowded places as well as the abduction and murder of IDF soldiers.

Bomb discovered by Bedouin soldier
The statement also reported that at the end of August, two of the cell members met their handlers in Jenin and received a prepared bomb to plant in northern Israel. They underwent basic training regarding this type of operation. The youths originally intended to plant the bomb in a school on the first day of studies in the nearby city of Carmiel, but were deterred by the high security and decided to plant it elsewhere.

The bomb was discovered at a crowded bus stop on Friday by an IDF soldier, Fahwaz Mujeed, a 26-year-old Bedouin from the Galilee village of Ilaboun. After dozens of soldiers and civilians were evacuated safely, police sappers were called in to neutralize the bomb, which exploded, causing damage to the sappers' robotic device and to the bus stop structure.

In a ceremony on Sunday attended by newly appointed Northern District police commander Yaacov Borovsky, Ammakim District head Dep.-Cmdr. Dov Lutzsky presented Mujeed with an award certificate. Police officials said that Mujeed's alertness and quick thinking saved many people from being killed or maimed.

Brother of detained youth serves in the IDF
Israel Radio reported this morning that the brother of one of the detained youths serves in the IDF in the same combat unit as Fahwaz Mujeed. Interviewed on the radio, the soldier said he could not believe that his brother was involved in terrorist activities.

"My brother wanted to enlist in the IDF," claimed another family member quoted in Yediot Aharonot today. "He visited the Israeli draft board twice in order to register, but I told him he couldn't enlist until he finished his high school studies."

The Israeli army includes a large number of non-Jewish citizens, including members of the Circassian, Bedouin and Druze tribes. Israeli Arabs (both Christian and Moslem) are not required to join the IDF, and volunteers are rare.

"My family is taking this very hard," the detained youth's brother said. "They are shocked and feel that they lost a son because we are very faithful to the State of Israel and love it," he said.

Shawki Hatib, the head of the Arab leadership's monitoring committee, warned against labeling the entire Arab community as terrorist "because of a handful of youngsters, who are still only suspects."

"I am not underestimating the seriousness of the circumstances if the reports are true. It is very serious," Hatib told Israel Radio. He noted that Arabs had been citizens of Israel for more than 50 years. "We don't need to prove ourselves over and over again whenever an unusual case such as this comes up," he said.

ISA warns of connection between Israeli Arabs and Palestinian terrorists
The ISA issued the following unusual warning about the cooperation of Israeli citizens with Palestinian terror groups:

"The ISA views with utmost gravity the ease with which Israeli youths were enlisted into perpetrating acts of terrorism and wishes to emphasize that none of them had prior security records."

"The ISA wishes to call attention to the risks stemming from connections between the Palestinian population in the 'territories' and Israeli Arabs. This connection is currently being exploited by terrorist organizations which are seeking to rupture the delicate seam in relations between Israeli Arabs and the state."

"The naiveté of several of the gang members -- minors, who were being exploited by seasoned terrorist organization militants without any thought to their ages and the prices they might have to pay -- is viewed with alarm."

© 2001 Koret Communications Ltd. All rights reserved. Terms of Use.