Special to WorldTribune.com

TEL AVIV — Israel has charged the Iran-backed Islamic Jihad with planning a mass-casualty attack in Israel.

Officials said Jihad recruited both Palestinians and Israelis for a series of major strikes in Israel. They said the first attack, the bombing of a bus in the Tel Aviv suburb of Bat Yam last month, was foiled by an alert passenger.

“The incident in Bat Yam shows the threat of terror is always in the background, and in particular, in times like now, when there is an attempt to advance the peace process,” Israeli police commander Inspector General Yohanan Danino said.

So far, the Israel Security Agency has reported the arrest of 14 Jihad operatives and suspected collaborators. They said four of the detainees were deemed senior members of Jihad and residents of the West Bank city of Bethlehem, one of whom worked in a restaurant in Tel Aviv. The others included Israeli Arabs suspected of helping smuggle weapons and equipment as well as Jihad operatives into Israel.

“The investigation continues,” ISA said. “Additional arrests are expected.”

One of the Jihad detainees was identified as a police officer of the Palestinian Authority. The officer, Hamdi Tamari, has been accused of helping assemble the cellular phone-activated bomb for the Bat Yam bus attack.

Officials said PA officers were recruited to acquire weapons and collect
intelligence for operations against Israel. They said Tamari had been
accepted into the PA force despite a previous jail term in Israel.

“This is additional proof of the direct involvement of Palestinian
Authority personnel in terrorism,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
said. “The time has come for Abu Mazen [PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas] to stop
celebrating with released murderers, and to lead his people toward peace.”

The Bat Yam bombing on Dec. 22 did not incur casualties. A passenger
spotted the bomb and the bus was evacuated.

“We found 25 kilograms of explosives meant for additional attacks,” an
official said. “This group knew how to prepare explosive devices.”

Neither Hamas and Jihad, which welcomed the bombing, claimed
responsibility. Officials said the bombing could reflect efforts by Iran to
sponsor mass-casualty strikes in the Jewish state.

“All of these issues raised many eyebrows, including the possibility
that the suspects had outside connections, from the Gaza Strip or from other
places,” Israeli defense analyst Ron Ben-Yishai said. “The Palestinian
Islamic Jihad receives logistics, inspiration and funding from Iran.”

  Bat Yam, Benjamin Netanyahu, credits alert passenger, Hamdi Tamari, Israel arrests 14 in plot to blow up bus, Mahmoud Abbas, Yohanan Danino