The defense establishment has expressed concern over a sharp increase in the involvement of Israeli Arabs in the Islamic State and other Palestinian armed factions in the northern West Bank.
Over the past five months, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) has exposed and arrested more than 15 terrorist cells and networks composed of Israeli Arabs. According to the Shin Bet, most of those detained pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.
Officials have identified a growing trend in recent weeks involving terror-linked activity and have outlined several patterns and contributing factors behind its spread.
A senior defense official noted two primary channels of activity observed in recent months among Israeli Arabs.
The first involves the formation of Islamic State-affiliated cells within Israel. These groups consist primarily of teenagers and young adults in their 20s. According to the source, they are often exposed to online publications and broadcasts from Arabic-language television stations, notably Qatari state media Al Jazeera, which, though not officially aired in Israel, is available via mobile applications.
The official said the phenomenon is driven in part by the perceived success of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and his followers, who are viewed in some sectors of the Arab Israeli community as jihadist figures. The Syrian uprising, the official added, is seen by some as a source of inspiration.
The second channel involves Israeli Arabs traveling to the northern West Bank and joining terrorist groups affiliated with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The Shin Bet has identified Israeli citizens who have gained access to areas such as Jenin, where they connect with these groups to support terror activity.
Tracking IDF movements during West Bank operations
According to security sources, this support includes smuggling explosives and weapons, conducting reconnaissance, and reporting on IDF troop movements to assist in attacks against Israeli soldiers.
Officials have also pointed to the impact of images broadcast on social media and by European and Arab television networks. Photographs showing hungry children, destruction, and death in Gaza, they say, are inflaming sentiment in Arab communities and prompting some individuals to act against the state, including by joining terrorist factions in the West Bank.
The Shin Bet reiterated that it has exposed more than 15 networks composed of Israeli Arabs affiliated either with the Islamic State or with Palestinian armed groups in the past five months.
On Sunday, authorities cleared for publication that three residents of Ar’ara, all Israeli citizens, were arrested after pledging allegiance to the Islamic State and allegedly planning attacks within Israel.
According to the statement, the arrests were carried out in a joint operation by the Shin Bet, the Coastal District Police, and the Menashe regional crime-fighting unit. The suspects—two adults and a minor—are accused of planning terrorist activity on behalf of the Islamic State.
The investigation found that in January, the three were involved in a confrontation with the Border Police. Following the incident, they allegedly contacted a foreign agent and expressed an intent to harm Jews. They reportedly received training from Islamic State operatives in Syria on constructing explosives and conducted test detonations in open areas with the aim of producing a powerful device to be used against Israeli security personnel.
Following the investigation, the Haifa District Attorney filed charges against the suspects and requested their detention until the end of legal proceedings.
A Shin Bet official said, “The investigation once again reveals a troubling trend of increasing involvement of Israeli Arab minors in terrorism.”
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