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Israeli Arabs Penetrated by Terrorist Organizations
(Ha'aretz) - Ze'ev Schiff There was a 32 percent increase - from 56 in 2001 to 74 in 2002 - in the number of Israeli Arabs prepared to participate in terror activities against Jewish Israelis. In 2000, when the military conflict began, there were eight terrorist cells discovered among Israeli Arabs. In 2001, there were 25 groups uncovered, while in 2002, 32 were discovered. Three groups of Israeli Arabs activated by Hizballah were uncovered in 2000 and 2001, while in 2002, two such groups were discovered. Hamas and Islamic Jihad were the pioneers in using Israeli Arabs for terrorism, but in 2001, Fatah-Tanzim became the leading organization using Israeli Arab terror accomplices - nine such cells were uncovered in 2001 and 13 in 2002. After Palestinian gunman Sirhan Sirhan murdered a mother and her two small children at Kibbutz Metzer in November, he escaped to the Arab village of Umm Kutaf, near Kibbutz Ma'anit. There he asked Ahmed Sahdi Kabha, 18, to hide Sirhan's Kalashnikov rifle. Kabha did not hesitate and even asked to be given a gun. He did not tell anyone he had the murderer's weapon and even tried out the Kalashnikov in shooting practice. Sirhan, the murderer, continued to Baka al Sharkia, on the east side of the Green Line, and from there he got a ride to Tulkarm. Sirhan's commanders in Tulkarm then sent an Israeli Arab, Majdi Sa'id from Baka al Garbiyeh, to pick up the Kalashnikov from Kabha. The common denominator between Sa'id and Kabha is that both were immediately ready to help in the murder of Israelis.