Arab Israeli jailed for joining Syrian Jihadist group

An Israeli court sentenced an Arab Israeli man to five years in prison for joining the al-Nusra Front, a jihadist organization in Syria on Thursday, according to the Israeli Court Authority spokesperson.

Amin Sanover, a 23-year-old resident of Kafr Yasif, an Arab town in northern Israel, was found guilty in January on charges of membership in an illegal organization, illegal combat training, providing services to an illegal organization and obstruction of justice.

Justice Avraham Elyakim of the Haifa District Court wrote in his decision on Thursday that al-Nusra front is an extension of Al-Qaeda, fighting for the organization's "overall regional plan" to instill an "Islamic government" in the area by using violence.

"The defendant took part in massive military training and willingly returned to Israel, like a "ticking bomb," who could at any moment make use of his training to carry out militant attacks.

According to the indictment, Sanover went to Turkey in July 2015, and from there continued illegally to Syria, which Israel considers an enemy state. The organization was declared illegal by Israel in September.

He had trained with the group for nearly six months, and trained in making bombs and using various weapons including RPGs and assault rifles, the indictment stated.

Several dozens of Arab Israelis have been indicted in the past couple of years for allegedly attempting to leave Israel and join the Islamic State in Syria and in Iraq.

Arab Israelis are Palestinians who stayed in Israel after the 1948 War and are Israeli citizens, constituting 20 percent of the population. Endit