Israel busts "Jewish cell" for attacking Palestinians

Israel's Shin Bet intelligence agency said Wednesday it has arrested six members of a Jewish cell who attack Palestinians.

The suspects, all from Nahliel, a West Bank settlement in northern Ramallah, admitted attacking Palestinians and vandalizing their property, said Shin Bet in a statement.

Shin Bet described the ring as "extremist and violent."

Three of its members are brothers, one is an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldier, whilst the other two are minors aged 16 and 17.

The attacks occurred in the West Bank during the second half of 2015.

According to Shin Bet, the recent arrests halted further assaults the group had planned.

Shin Bet said the group had "systematically hurt Palestinians and damaged their property, fully aware they were harming human lives, even following the Duma home arson attack."

In July 2015, a firebomb attack by Jewish assailants against a home in Duma led to the death of an 18-month-old boy, whose parents died later in hospital from their injuries.

In November, the group allegedly threw firebombs into a home in the village of Mizraa during the night, as the family slept, scribbling "death to Arabs" onto the house walls.

A month later, cell members hurled two tear gas grenades into the home of a family in the village of Beitillu, as the family slept inside.

They also spray-painted Hebrew graffiti on a wall which read "Revenge," and "Greetings, prisoners of Zion," apparently referring to ultra-nationalist suspects arrested in connection with the Duma attack.

"The family's father was awoken by the noise and although he faced difficulty breathing and his eyes stang from the gas he swiftly pulled out his wife and baby son from the house to safety. His quick response prevented serious harm to the baby," Shin Bet said.

The suspects also attacked and wounded a Palestinian farmer using sticks and tear gas and set fire to several vehicles.

The arrests were made following "several months of thorough and extensive effort by Shin Bet, using intelligence and investigative means," Shin Bet said.

Ultra-nationalist Israelis have in recent years vandalized Palestinian property and religious sites, including mosques, churches, and cemeteries.

They also targeted Israeli left-wing supporters, in what became known as "Price Tag" attacks. These attacks typically aim to exact a price for damages to the settlements.

What's more, they rebuke other religions apart from Judaism.

Israel has vowed to crack down on "Price Tag" perpetrators but according to the Israeli human rights group, Yesh Din, Israelis attacking Palestinians in the West Bank are rarely indicted.

Approximately 85 percent of the cases are closed due to police investigators' failure to locate the suspects or find sufficient evidence to warrant indictment, said Yesh Din in a report released last year.

Only 7.4 percent of investigations yield indictments against suspects, according to the report.

Israel occupied the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war and has controlled it since then, a move denounced by the international community. Endit