Full Breakdown
Bar-Ilan University Lecturer Indicted for Alleged Mass-Terror Plot Targeting Arab Citizens
By Drooid · · How we work
Alleged Plot Details
Prosecutors say the unnamed mathematics lecturer, a Petah Tikva resident in his 60s, drafted a scheme called “AYT” (Hebrew acronym for “Am Ya’aseh Transfer”) beginning in early February 2023. The plan envisioned 72 armed Jewish attackers organized into 12 cells of six people each. Each cell would be equipped with handguns, rifles, axes and hammers and would strike simultaneously in mixed cities and Arab-majority towns, with Tuba-Zanghariya identified as a primary target. The indictment describes a broader objective of forcing Arab citizens of Israel, Bedouins, East Jerusalem residents and Palestinians in the West Bank to flee to Jordan, Lebanon or Gaza. Documents allegedly called for the public to “carry out mass killings” and to seize roads, entrances and hospitals without mercy toward women or children.
Prosecutors’ Claims and Legal Charges
The State Attorney’s Office filed the indictment in the Central District Court in Lod, charging the lecturer with preparing an act of terrorism under the Counter-Terrorism Law, extortion by threats, and obstruction of justice. Prosecutors argue the plan was motivated by nationalist ideology and was intensified by the May 2021 riots during Operation Guardian of the Walls and the subsequent “Swords of Iron” war. They allege the suspect attempted to recruit collaborators within the Israel Defense Forces and sought the assistance of Zehut party leader Moshe Feiglin, delivering threatening letters to Feiglin and the party’s director-general. The indictment notes the suspect concealed his activities by using a false name, disguising his appearance, handwriting documents, and borrowing phones.
Institutional and Official Reactions
Bar-Ilan University issued a statement condemning the alleged conduct in the strongest possible terms, expressing deep shock, and announcing the lecturer’s immediate suspension pending the outcome of legal proceedings. The university called on police and prosecutors to pursue the matter fully if the allegations are substantiated, emphasizing a zero-tolerance policy for such behavior.
Potential Implications
If proven, the plot would represent a coordinated attempt to incite mass violence against Arab communities and to trigger a forced demographic shift, raising concerns about extremist radicalization within civilian and military circles. The case also highlights the challenges Israeli authorities face in monitoring ideologically driven threats and the broader societal impact of nationalist rhetoric linked to past conflicts.