Security forces arrested six Israeli Palestinians in Nazareth. They are said to have planned an attack on a school.
In Nazareth, which attracts Christian pilgrims from all over the world especially at Christmas time, IS supporters are said to have planned an attack.
The plan was diabolical. If it had risen, there could have been many deaths among school children. Six supporters of the terrorist group Islamic State (IS) are said to have planned an attack on a school in the northern Israeli city of Nazareth. This was announced by the police and the Israeli domestic intelligence service Shin Bet on Sunday.
A series of terrorist attacks has been going on in Israel for a long time this year. At least 18 civilians were killed in the spring. At the end of September, a Palestinian from the occupied West Bank killed an old woman near Tel Aviv. At least two of the attacks in the spring were carried out by Palestinian Israelis associated with IS.
Internet radicalization
The attacks so far have primarily been directed against Jews. This time the IS supporters in Nazareth also wanted to attack an Israeli Palestinian school. One of the group’s main targets was a Muslim high school, police and the Shin Bet said. They also planned attacks on a police station, a bus stop and a park frequented primarily by Jews.
The IS does not shy away from attacks on Muslims. But these put him under strong pressure to justify himself. The usual ideological cloak is that the attacked Muslims, especially the Shiites, are infidels. The extremists from Nazareth also claimed this. In interrogations they are said to have said that the Muslim high school was following the example of the “infidels”.
The security forces did not say exactly when the men, between the ages of 18 and 25, were arrested, saying only “a few weeks ago”. Only one of the six was known to the security authorities as an IS sympathizer. They have become radicalized above all on the Internet – through which they also wanted to recruit more members.
More single offenders
In the past, IS played a rather marginal role among the Palestinians. Some tried to join the extremists but were arrested. The vast majority of Palestinians view the conflict with Israel as a national struggle, either for more rights within Israel or for a state of their own.
But the further a Palestinian state moves into the distance, the greater the threat of radicalization, especially among young people who no longer have the horrors of the second Intifada (2000-2005) in their bones. The discrediting of the Palestinian Authority, which in the eyes of Generation Z is only an advocate of the status quo, also contributes to this.
Security experts have been observing for some time that attacks are not only carried out by militant groups, but increasingly also by individual perpetrators. The situation in Jerusalem is particularly tense because of the erosion of the status quo on the Temple Mount / Haram al-Sharif. Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “Muslims pray on the Temple Mount, non-Muslims visit the Temple Mount.” But incidents of Jews breaking this rule are increasing.
At the same time, attacks by militant Palestinian groups, but also by individuals, are increasing. Terrorism warnings were issued in the run-up to the high Jewish holidays, which began on September 25 and ended in mid-October. To prevent attacks, the police have moved around 2,000 additional officers to Jerusalem. The Shin Bet said on Sunday that it would use all means at its disposal to combat extremist Islamist ideologies and prevent attacks.