2 Arab Israelis indicted for trying to join IS

Two separate indictments were filed on Thursday in Israeli courts against two Arab Israelis for trying to join the Islamic State (IS) organization on two separate incidents, according to the Court Authority spokesperson.

Court protocols delivered by the Court Authority spokesperson unit reveal that one indictment was filed on Thursday morning at the Jerusalem District Court against Fares Saritah, 18, from the east Jerusalem village of Akeb.

Saritah, who was arrested in July, was charged with attempting to join an illegal organization, as the IS is considered a banned organization under the Israeli law.

The indictment charges that he had lived in the past several years in the United States and decided in April, along with two other family members, to join the IS. The three traveled to Turkey in order to cross the border into Syria.

However, Saritah's passport expired and he could not enter Turkey, and had to return to Israel in order to extend it. In the meantime, his relatives continued with the journey.

Upon his return to the village of Akeb in east Jerusalem, he remained in touch with family members who reached Syria, and expressed his desire to join them after he gets his traveling documents in order.

He was arrested by the Shin Bet and the Israeli police in July, as he headed again to Turkey, and from there to Syria.

Another indictment was filed on Thursday against Hamis Salame, 20, from Ramle at the Lod District Court in central Israel, for similar offenses.

Salame was charged with trying to exit the country illegally and contact with a foreign agent in order to join an illegal organization.

According to the indictment, Salame became increasingly interested in the organization and contemplated fighting in its ranks in the past several months.

He decided to leave Israel and travel to Syria via Turkey, in order to join the organization, and came into contact through the internet with a member of the organization, who instructed him on how to act.

He departed to Istanbul on July 20 and traveled to the Syrian-Turkish border, where he was arrested by the Turkish police before crossing into Syria. He was deported back to Israel, and arrested by authorities at the Ben Gurion airport amid his return.

The state prosecution asked the courts to extend the remand of both suspects until the end of the legal proceedings against them. Both judges set dates for discussing the motions in the past few weeks.

Several Arab Israelis were arrested and underwent legal proceedings in the past year under suspicion that they've gone to Syria or planned to do so in order to join the IS. Israel outlawed any affiliation with the group last year.

In early July, an Arab Israeli called Hamza Magmesh, 23, from the northern Arab village of Yafia, was sentenced to three years in prison for attempting to join IS in Syria by the Nazareth District Court.

In January, seven Israeli Arabs were indicted in a Haifa court on charges of attempting to join the IS and establish a cell of the organization in Israel, and were charged with belonging to an illegal organization.

In March, a 19-year-old Arab Israeli from east Jerusalem was beheaded by members of the group, who claimed he was an Israeli spy. Endit