Jerusalem Car Bombing Linked to Central Israel Crime Feuds, Police Say

An assassination attempt involving a car bombing in Jerusalem's Armon Hanatziv neighborhood on Tuesday targeted Yitzhak (Itzik) Bar Mocha, a figure known to police for his involvement in organized crime. A senior police official told Maariv that the incident does not indicate the presence of active crime organizations within Jerusalem itself, asserting that such groups largely abandoned the city years ago due to intense pressure from the Jerusalem Central Unit. The official stated that the conflict leading to the bombing originated with Bar Mocha's disputes with individuals in the central region of Israel.

Bar Mocha, who has a long criminal history, recently returned to Jerusalem after living for over six months in Yavne. During his time in Yavne and the surrounding Shfela region, his name was linked to numerous criminal conflicts and alliances. His surroundings in Yavne experienced several violent incidents, including shots fired at his residence, a car set ablaze nearby, and the discovery of a bomb. Police investigated these events as part of power struggles between criminal elements in the area.

One significant conflict associated with Bar Mocha in recent years was with crime boss Kutayer Ouda. Initially allies involved in a major criminal case, their relationship deteriorated into a feud, exacerbated by Bar Mocha's alliances with individuals who were rivals of Ouda. A notable event in this dispute was a shooting targeting Bar Mocha's home in Yavne, for which Ouda's nephew was later convicted and sentenced.

Police have also examined Bar Mocha's connections with other criminal figures in the Shfela and southern regions, including those associated with Beni Shlomo's organization and criminals from the Arab sector. These connections were formed during a period of shifting alliances and power struggles among crime organizations in the central and Shfela areas.