In another attempt to delegitimize Israel's Arab population and its elected leaders, two Israeli Arabs were indicted Sunday for alleged "involvement in a terrorist cell" broken up recently by Israel's security services and police.
The "cell", according to Army Radio, which "operated" in the Reineh village, located near Nazareth, included activists from the Balad party.
According to the report, the "cell" was trained, funded and directed by the Lebanon-based Hizbulluh movement, with the goal of "carrying out attacks inside Israel, including suicide bombings."
The two key figures in the suspected "cell", brothers Gassan, aged 40, and 25-year-old Sirhan Atamallah, were charged Sunday with working for a "terrorist organization", Army Radio said. The two were arrested several weeks ago.
According to the report, Gassan Atamallah sent Sirhan to Turkey in December 2003, to meet with Hizbullah activists. From there, the report stated, he went to Lebanon for "military training."
Several days after the two brothers were arrested, a container of diapers arrived at Haifa port, which the two had allegedly sent from Turkey, in what may have been an attempt to "test future methods of smuggling illegal arms into the country", the Israeli media reports added.
However, chairman of the Balad faction in the Israeli parliament, Jamal Zahalka, denied all connection with the group, the radio said.
Zahalka said party officials had no indication the activists were involved in any illegal activity and were surprised by the arrests.
"Balad is not connected to these charges in any way," Zahalka said. "We are a political movement acting within law."
Balad leader Azmi Beshara, for his part, reacted to the incident and said, "It is hard for me to believe this indictment. These are two Balad [party] activists. One [of the two] had been arrested several times in the past and was held under administrative detention. Each time [the authorities] tried to "charge" him with something, but failed.
Beshara added, "This marks the first time in the history of Balad that its activists are indicted. [Balad] fights for equal rights and just peace only within the framework of the law. I warn [people] not to judge the [two men] before their trial.
"If it turns out that the allegations are indeed true, it is an 'individual act' that does not reflect the party's policy. It is important to remember that we had already witnessed several times [in the past] indictments that were handed out and ended up without anything."
On his part, Hadash-Ta'al leader MP Mohammed Barake, condemned any direct or indirect involvement of Arab civilians in "terror activities." However, he stressed that the two brothers should not be judged before their trial, and added that the entire Arab population should not be incriminated. He warned against a "witch hunt" against Israeli-Arabs.
MP Ahmed Tibi, also from the Hadash-Ta'al party said, "The Arab faction struggle is a political parliamentary and public one against the occupation and in support of equality. The automatic 'choir of incitement' must keep silent; these are only allegations that have not yet been proved." (Albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
