Two Israelis charged with terror for rioting in Huwara

The accused rioted after 50 Palestinians in Huwara threw stones at Israeli vehicles driving through the town.

By World Israel News Staff

Two Israelis from a Samaria outpost were charged with terror offenses on Thursday for assaulting residents of the Palestinian town of Huwara last month after Palestinians threw stones at passing Jewish drivers, the Shin Bet announced on Thursday.

According to the Shin Bet security agency, Hanoch Rabin, 25, from Givat Ronen – deemed an illegal outpost by Israel – and Raz Giron, 21, from Yitzhar, were arrested by police on March 13 on suspicion of assault, including attacking a car with an axe.

At least five Palestinians were injured in the riots, which coincided with the Jewish festival of Purim, including one who was hit in the head by a stone, the Shin Bet said.

Earlier that day, around 50 Palestinians in Huwara threw stones at Israeli vehicles driving through the town, damaging at least four vehicles.

Rabin and Giron, who were charged with crimes of conspiracy to commit a terrorist act of aggravated damage and willful damage to a vehicle for racist reasons, arrived in Huwara after Palestinians had hurled rocks at Israeli cars.

The Shin Bet accused Rabin and Giron of being part of a “violent group that seeks to harm Palestinians as well as disrupt the activities of the security forces in dealing with thwarting Palestinian terror and maintaining peace in the area.”

Huwara has been a hotbed of Palestinian terror for decades.

Earlier this week, two IDF soldiers were wounded in a shooting attack in the Palestinian town, marking the third terror attack there in the past month.

At the end of February, two Israeli brothers, Hallel and Yagel Yaniv, were murdered in a drive-by shooting, prompting a riot by Jewish Israelis later that evening.  A poll later found that almost three-quarters of Palestinians supported their murder.

Two weeks later, former U.S. Marine David Stern was shot while driving through the town with his young children family. After being shot at at point blank range, Stern, a martial arts instructor, managed to shoot and neutralize the terrorist.