BICOM

It was announced yesterday that the Shin Bet internal security agency and Israel Police arrested 15 people, including a Hamas cell in connection with attacks on the 443 motorway, one of only two major commuter routes linking Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. About 10 miles of the road traverse the West Bank.

All of the apprehended suspects are from the village of Beit Ur Tahta, near Ramallah and adjacent to route 443. During the past two months, there has been an increase in attacks on vehicles using the motorway, including 20 Molotov cocktails. Earlier this month, Israeli government ministers were advised by police not to use route 443.

A Shin Bet statement said, “Route 443 is a significant traffic route, and hence, the Shin Bet, in cooperation with the IDF and Israel Police, will continue to act with determination to thwart any terrorist activities aimed at harming innocents.”

Most of those arrested are accused of involvement in Molotov cocktail, rock attacks and shooting at vehicles with home-made firearms. However, three suspects are members of a Hamas cell which had planned to detonate an explosive device on route 443, targeting an army vehicle. They had apparently already carried out a trial run. Masab Ibrahim Badran, 27, admitted under questioning that he had founded the Hamas cell and the other two members are Muhammad Rabah Omar, 31, and Salah Khaled Suleiman, 26.

There have been several indications that Hamas is attempting to increase its presence in the West Bank in recent months. It is thought that Hamas dare not launch significant attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip for fear of facing a serious IDF response. Last month, the Shin Bet thwarted an attempt by a Hamas-affiliated Palestinian terror group to set up a West Bank cell aimed at kidnapping Israelis, while in December, IDF forces killed a Hamas activist they were attempting to arrest in Jenin. In September, security forces foiled a Hamas plot to blow up a Jerusalem shopping centre.