Bar Ilan Lecturer Indicted for Plotting Terror Attack Against Arab Israelis

Central District prosecutors have filed a serious indictment against a 60-year-old mathematics lecturer at Bar Ilan University, residing in Petah Tikva, for preparing to commit an act of terror, extortion, and obstruction of proceedings. The indictment alleges the lecturer devised an extreme plan, codenamed "עם יעשה טרנספר" (a nation will transfer), aimed at mass murder of Arab citizens of Israel, Bedouins, and Palestinians, with the goal of their forced expulsion to Jordan, Lebanon, and Gaza.

According to the charges, the defendant began working on his plan in February 2023, conducting preliminary field surveys. The scheme involved establishing 12 terror cells comprising 72 operatives armed with both firearms and bladed weapons. These cells were intended to simultaneously and systematically raid Arab communities with instructions to "show no mercy even to women and children," while documenting and disseminating the attacks on social media. The accused also hoped to recruit "subversive elements" within the IDF to provide military backing and assistance for the assault.

To advance his plot, the lecturer attempted to collaborate with Moshe Feiglin, a candidate in the upcoming elections, to enlist his activists. After Feiglin ignored his overtures, the lecturer initiated a campaign of extortion, threatening Feiglin's political standing during the elections through targeted letters. Prosecutors noted in their detention request that the defendant employed meticulous concealment measures, using aliases, disguising his face during meetings, and communicating only via payphones.

In response to the case's exposure, the Mossawa Center for Arab Civil Rights in Israel issued a sharp condemnation, blaming leadership for the climate of incitement. The organization stated that when incitement against the Arab community becomes mainstream and politicians label an entire population as enemies, they sow the seeds for future massacres. They emphasized that even isolated perpetrators emerge from a public atmosphere of exclusion and delegitimization. The center urged law enforcement to adopt a zero-tolerance policy towards threats ahead of the elections, warning that without a resolute fight against incitement, the consequences will be devastating, likening the potential outcome to past massacres by Baruch Goldstein, Ami Popper, and Eden Natan-Zada.