New Subversives

Arrest of settlers with explosives sparks fear of new Jewish underground.

from every possible aspect, both
legally and morally."
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
The settlement establishment
has
good reason to be nervous.
Jerusalem
One of the byproducts of the
lmost 20 years after Israel was shaken by
intifada has been greater public
the exposure of a Jewish underground in
identification with the settle-
the West Bank, some fear that another
ments. Many Israelis now believe
tl. '
. •
one could be emerging.
,044.4MW
that the Palestinians are not
In the past few days, police detained four Jews
fighting the settlements as much
from settlements in the Hebron Hills region sus-
as
they are fighting Israel itself,
pected of conspiring to plant a booby-trapped cart
with
the settlers taking the brunt
in a Palestinian girls school'in Jerusalem.
of the attacks on the front lines.
If the incident proves to be part of a larger move-
The re-emergence of Jewish vig-
ment, it could complicate a tentative opening
ilantism in the territories could
toward peace-making, and undercut public support
cause heavy damage to sympathy
for the embattled settlement movement.
for the settlement cause.
The first Jewish underground was exposed by the
Dalia
Morag,
right,
mother
ofYardan
Morag,
25,
in
their
house
in
the
Jibril Rajoub, head of the
General Security Service inside the "hard core" of
Jewish
settlement
of
Bat
Ayin
in
the
West
Bank.
At
left
is
a
daughter
of
Palestinian
Preventive Security
the Jewish settlement movement in the West Bank.
Dalia,
name
not
given.
Service,
questioned
recently why
In contrast, the latest alleged plot was detected by
Israeli
security
forces
were so
chance, when police came on a vehicle they thought
effective at nabbing Palestinian
was acting strangely. Security forces reportedly had
terrorists, but were unable to
no prior knowledge of any Jewish terrorist plot.
expose Jewish ones.
A regular police patrol spotted a van, of a type fre-
Had the incident occurred in a vacuum, it might
"Jewish terrorism is marginal compared to other
quently used by the settlers as security vehicles, stop-
have been overlooked as a marginal event. However,
things which have happened during the intifada,"
ping near the Palestinian. Al-Mukassid Hospital.
there
are
increasing
signs
of
renewed
Jewish
vigilan-
said Ehud Sprinzak, dean of the School of
The passengers tried to detach from the car a cart
tism
in
the
West
Bank.
Government at the Interdisciplinary Academic
laden with explosives. It reportedly was set to
Eight
school
students
and
a
school
attendant
were
Center in Herzliya and an expert on Jewish terror-
explode at 7:35 a.m., when the street would be
wounded
in
March
in
an
explosion
in
the
east
ism.. "I suppose that had there been a serious Jewish
crowded with girls on their way to a nearby school.
Jerusalem neighborhood of Sur Baher. An unknown
underground," the security forces "would have
Police detained Shlomo Dvir (Seliger), 27, Yarden
invested more" in dealing with it.
Morag, 25, Ofer Gamliel, 42, all of the Bat Ayin Bet organization calling itself "The Revenge of the
Infants" claimed responsibility for the attack, appar-
Even if the detainees represent only themselves, they
settlement in the Hebron Hills, and Yosef Ben-
ently in revenge for a Palestinian terrorist attack in the do reflect a current among Jewish settlers. In the past
Baruch, 23, of the Maon Farm, also near Hebron.
Orthodox Beit Yisrael neighborhood of Jerusalem.
year and a half, public figures in the territories, among
The suspects denied the charges, and said they
Seven
Palestinians
have
been
killed
in
suspected
them influential rabbis, have spoken of revenge as a
were framed and tortured by investigators.
means of deterrence — particularly when they feel the
terror attacks in the past two years, and 10 have
government isn't doing enough to deter attacks.
been wounded.
First Arrests
None of those cases has been cracked.
That was the rationale behind militant attacks
The settlement establishment was shocked by the
such as the burning of Palestinian fields, vandalism
It was the first time since the Palestinian intifada
arrests. Yesha, a group representing Jewish settlers,
against Palestinian cars, and frequent acts of provo-
(uprising) began in September 2000 that security
issued a statement sharply condemning the alleged
cation by Jewish residents of Hebron against their
forces have captured Jews suspected of plotting ter-
plot. Yesha said, "Such acts are faulty and negative
Arab neighbors. ❑
ror attacks against Palestinians.

GIL SEDAN

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