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Israeli Arab accused of aiding Hizbullah
22-year-old man from Kfar Mazra skipped furlough last April, crossed border into Lebanon undetected, and gave information to Hizbullah activists before returning home eight months later
Ahiya Raved
Crossing the border: The Haifa District Court handed down an indictment Thursday against a 22-year-old man from the Arab village of Mazara, near the northern coastal town of Nahariya, on charges he entered Lebanese territory eight months ago, and passed on military information and infrastructure details to Hizbullah members.
According to security officials, he remained in Lebanon for eight months, and was arrested last month.
The indictment says the accused, Ali Hassan Avaro, who served time in Carmel Prison for auto theft and obstruction of police duties, was released from jail for a 48-hour furlough. He arrived at the Lebanese border with a knife and a map of northern Israel and Lebanon he found in the prison library.
Avaro entered Lebanon near Kfar Rajar, where he met a Lebanese national and presented himself as an escaped prisoner from Israel. According to Shunit Kedem of the Haifa district attorney's office, "The pair went to the Lebanese man's house, and a short while later, two unarmed men arrived who introduced themselves as Hizbullah activists… the accused was asked his personal details and said he had responded from an Israeli jail.
"He was then escorted to meet several other Hizbullah members, who then took him to a Lebanese jail, where he was interrogated by four men who identified themselves as Hizbullah members,” said Kedem.
"During his interrogation, (Avaro) gave details about the area where he crossed Israel's northern border undetected, about Nahariya's telephone and electricity infrastructure, the locations of stores, post offices, banks, government offices and schools in the area of Kfar Mazra and Nahariya.”
Pointed out restaurants, schools
In addition, Kedem said Avaro sketched a map of his village, pointing out the city council building, health clinics, schools and restaurants.
The man also gave information about two members of his family who serve in the Israel Police, as well as details about doctors and lawyers who live in his village.
The indictment says that a week before the accused returned to Israel he was given three aerial photographs of the Nahariya region.
"He showed the Hizbullah members where the banks and the shops were, the Bezeq and Electric Company buildings in Nahariya, as well as other places in Kfar Mazra,” the indictment says.
Avaro is accused of transferring information to an enemy, illegal exit and jail breaking. The prosecution has asked to extend his remand until the end of their investigation.
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