Al-Qaeda, long crowded out of the Palestinian territories by more localised armed groups, may be establishing a creeping presence inside Israel itself among its large Arab minority, experts say.
Over the past year the Shin Beth internal security agency has announced the arrest of four cells inspired by the ideology of Osama bin Laden’s global terror network on jihadist websites and suspected of planning attacks.
The most high-profile case was that of a Jerusalem student who allegedly sought advice on an Al-Qaeda Internet forum on how to shoot down George W. Bush’s helicopter during the US president’s visit to Israel in January.
An indictment filed last month alleges that Mohammed Najem, 24, from the town of Nazareth, frequently visited the Ekhlass website messageboard using the alias Mohammed of Sham, a Koranic name for Syria, Lebanon and Palestine.
The US-based SITE Intelligence Group, which specialises in penetrating and monitoring protected jihadist websites, intercepted his alleged postings.
“My brothers in Allah… How can a plane be shot down, and how can that be done? The planes of the dying Bush land and take off over a period of two days in an area close to my residence,” read a January 10 message in Arabic.
According to Shin Beth, Najem was one of six Israeli Arabs and east Jerusalem Palestinians who planned how “to apply the movement’s ideology”.
The six, who face severe charges, have denied belonging to Al-Qaeda or planning to launch attacks.
“They might have browsed certain websites, but that does not make them members of an illegal movement,” said Lea Tsemel, a lawyer representing the alleged leader of the ring, 21-year-old Yusef Sumeirin, from occupied and annexed east Jerusalem.
“They are religious Muslims whose beliefs might be similar to some of Al-Qaeda’s views, but they were never accepted into the organisation and did not plan any attack,” she added.
In another case, Israeli authorities last month detained two Bedouins from the southern town of Rahat suspected of planning attacks on airports, skyscrapers and military bases after joining Al-Qaeda on-line forums.
