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Speaking on the Channel Two "Meet the
Press" program yesterday, Public Security
Minister Tzachi Hanegbi confirmed that the
security establishment had identified rising
intent among right-wing extremists to carry out a
Temple Mount attack.
"There is no information about specific
individuals, because the Shin Bet and police would
not let them continue [with their plot],"
said Hanegbi. "But there are troubling
indications of purposeful thinking, and not
detached philosophy... There is a danger that
[extremists] would make use of the most explosive
site, in the hope that a chain reaction would
bring about the destruction of the peace
process."
Security sources on Saturday night said
possible actions included an attempt to crash a
drone packed with explosives on the Temple Mount,
or a manned suicide attack with a light aircraft
during mass Muslim worship on the Mount. Other
possibilities include an attempt by right-wing
extremists to assassinate a prominent Temple Mount
Muslim leader, perhaps from the Waqf Islamic
trust.
Israeli security sources speculate that the
assassination scenario might be chosen, even
though it would not cause mass injury or damage to
the Al-Aqsa mosque or the Golden Dome shrine. The
aim of the Temple Mount attack conspiracy, they
said, would be to carry out a visible provocation
that sparked violent confrontation in the
territories.
Due to stringent security routines at the
Temple Mount, Israeli security officials said
Saturday, right-wing extremists would find it
virtually impossible to use conventional routes to
penetrate the site with explosives. Hence, the
possibility of a large bomb being planted at one
of the Muslim holy sites is "a lower-level
possibility."
Saturday's disclosures about possible Temple
Mount terror plans were preceded in recent months
by a number of troubling indications. Nine months
ago a suspect in a Jewish underground terror group
affair, Shahar Dvir-Zeliger, told authorities a
prominent West Bank settler activist had planned a
Temple Mount attack. Zeliger cited two other names
of West Bank settlers, suggesting the two were
involved in the Temple Mount attack conspiracy.
Last Thursday, the Temple Mount Faithful group
petitioned the High Court, asking to be given
clearance to go up to the Holy Site for prayers
later this week for Tisha B'Av.
ORIGINAL
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