Hamas praised “our people in the Negev who are rising up against the Zionist oppression and aggression.”
By World Israel News Staff
In a joint operation by the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) and the Israel Police, four Arabs with Israeli citizenship, residents of the Negev, were detained for investigation in January on suspicion of involvement in assaulting a Jewish-Israeli journalist earlier that month in Segev Shalom, a Bedouin town east of Be’er Sheva, the Israeli Security Agency announced Thursday.
The four suspects are Maharan Abu Adra, Balil Abu Adra, Kerem al-Kadi and Ismail al-Kadi, all aged 18-19. The first three were born in Israel with one of their parents having received status in Israel in the framework of family reunification.
All four were involved in the assault. Upon realizing the car owner was Jewish, they began stealing personal items from the vehicle and setting it on fire. Other Arab youths joined in by throwing stones and pieces of wood at the vehicle.
The four participated in more violent disturbances in Segev Shalom in the days prior to their arrest. They threw firebombs at a police point, threw rocks at police forces, burned tires and blocked access to the town.
Gaza-based terror group Hamas congratulated the Bedouin for the rioting, praising “our people in the Negev who are rising up against the Zionist oppression and aggression.”
“Do not let our people in the Negev deal with the occupation on their own,” the statement continued. “All our people ‘inside occupied Palestine’ [Israel] must be with them.”
The violence occurred just days after a controversial bill to connect illegally built Bedouin homes to Israel’s national electricity grid was approved by the Knesset.
Upon the conclusion of the ISA and Israel Police investigation, their files were transferred to the State Attorney (Southern District), which is expected to file severe indictments against them in the Southern District Court in Be’er Sheva.
“The ISA and the Israel Police view with utmost gravity any involvement by Israeli citizens in terrorist activity and will continue to deal with those who harm the security of the citizens and security forces of the state to the fullest extent of the law,” they said in a statement.