01-May-18: Again, Shalit Deal 'graduates' are behind a major but thwarted Arab-on-Israeli terror attack

How close, warm and mutually supportive are relations between Turkey
and the terrorists of Hamas. Anyone's guess, really. [Source]

For those who adopt the somewhat conventional - but woefully inaccurate - view that the "moderate" Abbas/Fatah/PA regime controls the Palestinian Territories apart from Hamas-dominated Gaza, today's news might cause some confusion.

Three Palestinian Arabs from East Jerusalem were formally charged by prosecutors this morning (Tuesday) in the Jerusalem District Court with acting on behalf of the Hamas terrorist movement in plotting a shooting attack against Israelis.

The indictment reported in Times of Israel this afternoon names Naseem Hamada (who described himself to his interrogators as the group's leader), Izz al-Din Atun and Obeida Amira. Reports say all three are known to Israeli security before today for their ties to terrorist activities.

All three of today's arrestees are from the Sur Baher neighborhood of Jerusalem. They are charged with contact with a foreign agent, membership in a terrorist organization and conspiring to carry out a terror attack. (There's a fourth suspect, identified in the news report as A. A.; prosecutors have not yet reached a decision as to whether to file charges against him.)

The arrests came after Israel Police and Shin Bet became aware of the plan to open fire on IDF service personnel at a bus stop outside Oranit, an Israeli community close to Rosh Ha'ayin. A town of about 9,000 residents, it straddles the 1948 ceasefire line - the so-called Kav Hayarok or Green Line. It's located about 30 kilometers (say, 20 miles) from Israel's business center, Tel Aviv.

It emerged from the interrogation, as well, that 

Atun and Amira traveled to Turkey last year to visit Hamas figures Mahmoud Atun and Musa Azari [sic], who were exiled under the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange, and received thousands of dollars to help fund the attack.

The name "Musa Azari" might be a mistake. We suspect it should have been Musa al-Akari about whom we posted this

In a conversation with Ynet, the terrorist's 16-year-old son, Hamza, said he looked up to his father's acts. "I'm proud of my father. I'm not sad that he died a martyr." The police agreed for the family to bury al-Akari at midnight in the presence of up to 35 people... The terrorist's brother is Musa al-Akari, a prisoner released in the Shalit deal and deported to Turkey. He was a member of the Hamas cell that murdered border police officer Nissim Toledano in 1992. Al-Akari, 38, a father of five from the Shuafat refugee camp, arrived at the Light Rail station in the afternoon and ran over anyone who crossed his path. He was shot to death by a border police team that was on site after he exited the vehicle and attempted to attack passersby. Hamas has taken responsibility for the attack. [Ynet. November 5, 2014]

The Atun brothers of Sur Baher have a long and deep history of terrorist activity. 

1. In addition to Izz al-Din Atun indicted today, there are 
2. Munir Marwat Atun and his brother the well-named Jihad Atun who were both arrested for being members of another terrorist/shooter cell seven years ago ["Shin Bet Nabbed Five Members of Hamas-linked Terror Cell in Jerusalem", Haaretz, April 8, 2011]. 
3. A fourth brother, Mahmoud Atun was serving a life sentence in 2011 for murdering three Israelis, including (as noted above) Border Police Sgt.-Maj. Nissim Toledano, 29, in December 1992. After being incomprehensibly freed by Israel in the catastrophic Shalit Deal of October 2011, he's now one of the Hamas king-pins who freely orchestrate murderous attacks on Israelis from their Turkish safe haven.

Click here for the February 12, 2018 Haaretz report

We have focused some attention on the lethal Turkey/Hamas axis over the past six years but it generally gets far too little reporting. Here's some background reading - a small selection from a long list:

• 1-Jan-12: Terror attack statistics climbed sharply in December - no wonder this man is smiling so broadly
• 27-Nov-14: Hamas terrorist ring is busted; Israel says the handlers operate from Turkey; Qatar is involved
• 29-Nov-14: Is Turkey providing cover for Hamas terror?
• 25-Feb-15: Talking Turkey on terror
• 11-Dec-15: The price of the Shalit Deal and the countries that help it keep rising
• 03-Aug-17: Two Shalit Deal beneficiaries are at the heart of a just-busted Hamas terror-financing operation

There's some background about that violent Jerusalem neighborhood of Sur Baher here: "1-Dec-13: Living with stone-age neighbors".