Jewish extremists sentenced to 8 years in jail

12/6/2004 1:20:00 PM GMT

The Jerusalem District Court sentenced a member of the “Jewish Underground” terrorist group to eight years in jail after he was convicted of carrying out attacks against Arab civilians.

Shahar D’vir Zeliger was also indicted on charges of illegally possessing weapons stolen from the Israeli Defense forces.

Two other Israelis, identified as Yitzhak Pass and Motti Shvo, were previously convicted of having a role in the “Jewish Underground” group and are currently serving prison sentences.

Judge Yoram Noam, who issued the verdict, said that “the war on terror from within" must be met with tough sentences. He also denounced the attacks carried out by Jews against Arabs, saying that these acts are unacceptable and need a tough reaction from the judiciary system.

However, Judge Noam, noted that he couldn’t make the sentence more severe because Zeliger cooperated with the police during the investigation.

Zeliger has informed the police about a huge weapons cache belonging to the group. The cache was found hidden in caves near the West Bank settlement of Adi Ad, where Zeliger lives. He also identified other members of the terrorist organization.

The cache included guns, anti-tank rockets, and a large supply of ammunition stolen from IDF arms storage facilities and bunkers throughout the West Bank.

The probe proved that the arms were used in killing Palestinian civilians. Eight people were detained based on Zeliger’s testimony.

In September, Zeliger faced trial for having a role in a terrorist organization under a counter-terrorism order.

"This is the first time an Israeli court has ruled that there are Jewish terrorist organizations aiming to hurt innocent Arabs, especially children in schools," prosecutor Dan Eldad said after Zeliger's indictment.

At least two Jewish terrorist networks emerged in the occupied territories over the past three years. One of them is specialized in shooting attacks, and the second plants explosive devices at Palestinian schools and in busy areas.