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| Hikmat Massarwa |
An Israeli man was arrested and charged with working as a foreign agent related charges after crossing over into Syria and fighting alongside the Syrian rebels, according to court proceedings in Israel.
The District Court this week, accused the Arab citizen of Israel of numerous crimes after he traveled to Syria to fight alongside the rebels, Shin Bet, the internal security agency of Israel, said in a statement.
The agency said the suspect, Hikmat Massarwa, 29, a resident of Taibeh in central Israel, was arrested after returning to Israel. He had gone to Syria to join what he called elements of global jihad, a reference to Islamic extremist groups inspired by al Qaeda forces fighting the Syrian government. Another purpose of the trip, he said, was to try to locate his brother, who had gone to Syria a few months earlier, with a similar objective.
The Shin Bet said that Massarwa had received military training in a career field by rebel forces, and even had helped establish a camp.
Massarwa is said to have crossed into Syria from Turkey on foot, and has joined the rebels who were there. He left Syria after a week and did not find his brother.
"He just helped build tents," his attorney told the court.
“I hope this case will send a strong message to all Israelis to stay out of Syria. It is an extremely dangerous situation and Israel as a country and Israelis need to stay away from the internal conflicts of Syria at all costs,” Ruth Werner, 51, of Be’er Sheva, Israel told YourJewishNews.com after reading about the charges.
The Shin Bet also said that according to their investigation, Massarwa was asked many questions by the rebels on Israel, on the types of weapons used by the army and its nuclear reactor in Dimona. It said that Massarwa said he had been asked to carry out an attack in Israel, but he had refused.