Bar-Ilan University Lecturer Indicted for Plotting Mass Attacks on Arabs

An Israeli court on Wednesday permitted the publication of the name of Professor Shachar Nivo, a lecturer at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, who has been indicted for allegedly planning large-scale attacks against Arab citizens of Israel and Palestinians. According to the indictment filed by prosecutors Roee Reis and Tomer Steinberg, Nivo spent over three years developing a detailed plan for simultaneous, widespread attacks targeting hundreds of Arab citizens across Israel, including Bedouins, as well as East Jerusalem residents and Palestinians.

The indictment states that the plan's preparation began in early February 2023, following the "Guardian of the Walls" events, and escalated significantly during the recent war, motivated by what prosecutors described as nationalist and ideological reasons. Nivo reportedly named his plan "Ait," an acronym for a Hebrew phrase meaning "the people will carry out the transfer."

Prosecutors allege that Nivo prepared documents detailing the plan and its justifications, conducted reconnaissance missions, and attempted to recruit individuals to participate. The plan reportedly involved forming 12 cells comprising 72 Jewish attackers, at least half of whom were to be licensed gun owners. Nivo himself was intended to be a participant.

The indictment further claims the cells were to use various weapons, including handguns, rifles, axes, and hammers, to carry out surprise, simultaneous attacks in mixed cities and Arab towns. The plan also allegedly sought support from elements within the Israeli military, including potential air force, artillery, and armored corps strikes against Arab populated areas.

Nivo is also accused of preparing a document titled similarly to "How We Carry Out Ait Here and Now," which allegedly contained instructions for public participation in widespread attacks, seizing control of friction points, roads, and entrances to Arab towns, mixed cities, and hospitals. The document reportedly incited indiscriminate attacks, including against women and children, and urged against yielding to pleas for mercy.

The plan, as presented by the prosecution, aimed for simultaneous attacks, with real-time documentation and dissemination on social media, to pressure Arab citizens, East Jerusalem residents, and West Bank Palestinians into leaving Israel.