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Wednesday, July 29, 2015
ISA and Israel Police Solve the Arson Attack at the Church of the

ISA and Israel Police Solve the Arson Attack at the Church of the
Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes
(Communicated by the Israel Security Agency)

The following has been allowed for publication.

In the wake of an Israel Security Agency (ISA) and Israel Police
investigation, five people have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in
the 18 June 2015 arson at the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and
Fishes at Tabgha on the Sea of Galilee as well as in additional hate crimes.

Indictments have been filed against two of the group (Yinon Reuveni and
Yehuda Asraf); administrative steps will be taken against the other three.

The five are:

Yinon Reuveni – Born in 1995, resident of Ofakim. He has been served with
injunctions barring him from Judea and Samaria several times due to violent
activity against Arabs and their property, and due to information that
indicated his suspected involvement in perpetrating several acts of arson
against Palestinian property and religious sites in Judea and Samaria. He
was recently investigated by Israel Police on suspicion of involvement in
the February 2015 arson at Dormition Abbey on Mt. Zion in Jerusalem and
served with an injunction barring him from Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria
for six months.

Yehuda Asraf – Born in 1996, resident of Elad. He has lived for the past six
months in various hilltop youth outposts.

Mordechai Meyer – Born in 1997, resident of Maaleh Adumim. He was recently
served with an injunction barring him from Judea and Samaria and Jerusalem
due to his suspected involvement in several incidents of arson against
Palestinian property in Judea and Samaria. He was recently investigated by
Israel Police on suspicion of involvement in the February 2015 arson at
Dormition Abbey on Mt. Zion in Jerusalem.

Moshe Orbach – Born in 1991, resident of Bnei Brak. In recent years, he has
lived in various hilltop youth outposts. He has been served with several
injunctions barring him from Judea and Samaria due to his suspected
involvement in inciting violent activity against Arabs and their property
within the State of Israel.

John Doe – Born in 1998, resident of Ramle. In recent months, he has lived
in various hilltop youth outposts. He has previously been served with an
injunction barring him from Judea and Samaria due to his suspected
involvement in violent activity against Arabs and their property and
information that indicated his suspected involvement in acts of vandalism
and arson against Arab-owned vehicles.

This group operates in the context of an ideological infrastructure composed
of a limited number of hilltop youth activists. This infrastructure has
operated since 2013 and holds to an extremist ideology that aspires to
change the regime and bring about the redemption via various stages of
action.

The infrastructure sought to hit "weak points" in the State of Israel in
order to arose dialogue and win adherents. This infrastructure is led by an
activist from Jerusalem who has recently lived in various hilltop youth
outposts and who has been served with an administrative order barring him
from Judea and Samaria and Jerusalem for one year due given the danger he
poses. He currently resides in Safed.

The infrastructure began with mainly anti-Christian activity. To this end
the Dir Rafat monastery was vandalized in April 2014.

The infrastructure also tried (unsuccessfully) to disrupt the May 2014 visit
of Pope Benedict XVI.

In the past year, the infrastructure began to commit more significant
terrorist attacks of arson against inhabited Palestinian homes – on 23
November 2014 in Khirbet Abu Fellah and in December 2014 in A-Dirat in
southern Judea.

In recent months infrastructure activists have focused on attacking
Christian religious sites – Dormition Abbey in February 2015 and the Church
of the Loaves and Fishes last month.

The anti-Christian dialogue has strengthened in recent months among
infrastructure activists. The blog of the head of the group on the "Jewish
Voice" site on May 20 of this year sought to encourage attacks on Christian
religious sites – "Only those who deny idolatry and fight against
Christianity and aspire to remove the churches from the Holy Land – they are
called Jews."

On 17 April of this year the Israel Police thwarted an infrastructure
operational group en route to carry out an arson attack. Indictments were
filed against David Chai Hasdai, Hanan Froman and a minor.

The ISA and the Israel Police view with utmost gravity any intent or action
to attack religious sites in the State of Israel and will work together in
order to foil the activity of the aforesaid infrastructure.

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