Math Lecturer Accused of Plotting Mass Attacks on Arabs Declared Fit for Trial

A court session on Sunday addressed the mental fitness of Shahhar Nivo, a mathematics lecturer from Bar-Ilan University accused of planning large-scale attacks against Arab citizens in Israel. Nivo, who appeared before Central District Court Judge Eliana Daniely in Lod, asserted his sanity, stating, "I was normal, I am normal, and I am sure I do not need a psychiatrist." The judge accepted his plea, ruling against sending him for a psychiatric evaluation against his will. Nivo's defense argued that the evidence presented a less extreme picture than the indictment suggested. He claimed that only the first page of his manifesto, titled "A People That Will Carry Out Transfer," had been published, portraying him as initiating a war on the Israeli people. Nivo requested the full document be released and pointed to Moshe Feiglin and Uri Mamed as more extreme figures on the right. He reiterated his belief in his own mental soundness, citing his university position and lack of prior psychiatric treatment. The indictment details a meticulously planned operation, developed over three years starting in early 2023, aimed at killing hundreds of Arab citizens, Bedouins, East Jerusalem residents, and Palestinians to force their permanent expulsion from Israel. The plan involved 72 Jewish operatives, many armed, divided into 12 cells, to carry out simultaneous attacks in mixed cities and Arab towns. It also allegedly included coordinated support from within the military, with potential air force and artillery strikes on Arab population centers. Nivo's defense acknowledged the existence of prima facie evidence and grounds for his arrest during a hearing on his detention until the end of proceedings.