An Israeli source report on Wednesday that a Palestinian resident of Al Esawiyya village, north of Jerusalem, was convicted, in the framework of a bargain deal, of planning to kill Shas party leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef.
Mousa Darwish was convicted by the Jerusalem Magistrates Court of plotting to assassinate Yosef.
Also, the court convicted Darwish of “assisting the enemy in a time of warâ€Â, and membership of a resistance group, in addition to throwing Molotov cocktail bombs at an Israeli vehicle along Jerusalem-Maali Adumim road; the sentence of Darwish has not been determined yet.
According to the Israeli prosecution, Darwish joined the Popular front for the Liberation of Palestine in 2000, while he was working at a vegetable store located near Yosef’s home, and used to make home deliveries there, which enabled him to know the exact positions of cameras and security guards.
“In 2004, Darwish suggested to another member of the Popular Front that they open fire at Yosef while riding a motorcycleâ€Â, the Israeli Ynet news website reported, “And in December of the same year, they drove to Givat Shaul neighborhood in Jerusalem, in preparation for the assassinationâ€Â.
According to the Ynet, Darwish and the other member were to receive ammunition in the beginning of 2005 from another member who was to meet them near Shufat checkpoint, “but the intensive military presence did not enable them transfer the bullets, and the plan was foiledâ€Â.
The Israeli Security Services, Shin Bet, allowed the release of initial information regarding this issue in April 2005, after arresting three Arab residents of north Jerusalem for suspicion of plotting to kill Yosef.
Salah Hammouri, 20, and Mutaz Al Sheikh, 25, were also arrested along with Darwish, the Ynet reported.
The Israeli security reported that the three formed cell for the Popular Front in several north Jerusalem neighborhoods.
Also, the Shin Bet claims that the three purchased weapons and ammunition to carry shooting attacks against Israeli targets in Jerusalem area, in addition to contacting senior Popular Front members detained in a Palestinian Prison in Jericho after the assassination of the former Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi, who was assassinated in 1991.
Zeevi called for expelling the Palestinians to Arab countries, and considered that solution to the Arab – Israeli conflict is achieved by parting “the two nations, The Jews – in the Land of Israel, and the Arabs – in the Arab countriesâ€Â, according to a statement he made.
Also, Zeevi believed that Jordan is Palestine, and that the Palestinians should be expelled to Jordan, and other Arab – Islamic countries, “Now we should transfer the Arab population in the West Bank and Gaza to Arab countriesâ€Â, he said.
