Israel arrests two teenagers for arson attack on mosque

Israeli soldiers fire tear gas canister toward Palestinian demonstrators during clashes following a protest against the expansion of Jewish settlements, on Mar. 17, 2023, in the West Bank village of Beit Dajan. (AFP)

• Pair had planned to execute an Arab citizen, Shin Bet says
• Security service says there has been an increase in nationalism

RAMALLAH: Two teenagers from Tel Aviv have been arrested for firebombing the Sayedna Ali Mosque in Herzliya in January.
Israel’s internal security service Shin Bet said on Friday that Liad Ohana, 19, and a 16-year-old boy, who was not named, had been indicted on multiple charges, including committing terrorist acts, arson and the use of weapons for terrorist purposes.
It said the pair had also initially planned to lynch an Arab citizen, “but they abandoned the idea and decided to attack a mosque.”
The statement said there had been an increase in nationalism in the wake of the terrorist attacks by settlers in Hawara in February, which “constitutes a threat to the state’s security.”
“During the investigation conducted by the Shin Bet, it became clear that the two suspects were involved in the crime attributed to them and the evidence collected revealed that the attempt to burn the mosque was motivated by nationalism,” Shin Bet said.
It added that after looking at mosques in the Tel Aviv area, the teenagers decided to target one in the abandoned village of Haram, near the city of Herzliya.
According to the arrest request submitted by the public prosecution to the court, the two suspects manufactured “incendiary Molotov cocktails to implement the plan to arson the mosque.”
“If the defendants’ plan had been fully implemented and the mosque caught fire, this would have led to an escalation of severe acts of violence in Israeli society,” Shin Bet said.
Jalal Banna, a political analyst, told Arab News that statements made by Israel’s Internal Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had emboldened Jewish extremists to commit terrorist attacks against Arabs.
“This gives them legitimacy to take revenge on the Arabs and it becomes part of the policy of the Israeli government that the extremists are leading,” he said.
Banna referred to a petition submitted by hawkish deputies from the Knesset on Thursday to Defense Minister Yoav Galant demanding the release of Jewish extremists who burned Palestinian homes and vehicles in Hawara on Feb. 26.
Israeli Arabs were living in fear of retaliation during the upcoming month of Ramadan, he said.
Yousef Jabarin, a former Arab member of the Israeli parliament, told Arab News that the comments made by Ben-Gvir and Smotrich against Arabs had encouraged Jewish extremists to carry out terrorist acts with impunity.
“There are dozens of terrorist crimes committed by Jewish extremists against Arabs, including burning vehicles and trees, attacking holy places and physical assaults without the security services arresting them and bringing them to trial,” he said.