Four suspects detained near Jenin, two linked by Israel to ISIS

Israeli soldiers detained four Palestinians suspected of working toward attacks on Israelis during an overnight operation in the northern West Bank, according to a joint statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency (ISA). The statement said the troops carried out several operations in the area covered by the army's Menashe Brigade, and that two of the four were affiliated with the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS.

The army said the detainees had been involved in advancing attacks against both Israeli civilians and the security forces. All four were handed to the ISA for further questioning. Emanuel Fabian, military correspondent for The Times of Israel, reported that soldiers from the Paratroopers Brigade operated at a number of locations in the Jenin area on the basis of intelligence supplied by the ISA. Israeli broadcaster N12 carried the same account, describing the detainees as having promoted terror plots in the Menashe Brigade's sector.

Who carried out the raid

The ISA is Israel's domestic security service. It is better known in Israel and abroad as the Shin Bet, a name drawn from the Hebrew initials of its title. In the West Bank, the service gathers intelligence on suspected militants and is typically the body that questions detainees after arrest, while army units carry out the arrests themselves. The joint wording of the announcement, in which soldiers acted under the direction of the ISA, reflects that division of work.

The Menashe Brigade is one of the IDF's territorial brigades in the West Bank. These regional commands hold responsibility for a defined sector on an ongoing basis, while other units are brought in for specific operations. Fabian's report that the arrests were made by the Paratroopers Brigade, an infantry formation, inside the Menashe sector is consistent with that pattern. The official statement itself named only the territorial brigade and did not identify which unit made the arrests.

Where Jenin fits

Jenin is a Palestinian city in the far north of the West Bank, close to the boundary with northern Israel. The city and its adjacent refugee camp have for years been a centre of armed activity by Palestinian factions and a frequent target of Israeli raids. Arrest operations of this kind, carried out at night and announced by the army the following day, are a regular feature of Israeli military activity in the area.

The ISIS link

The most notable element of the announcement is the claim that two of the four were affiliated with ISIS. Armed activity in the West Bank is more commonly associated with Palestinian groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, or with local armed cells. Israeli security services have in the past reported isolated cases of Palestinians or Arab citizens of Israel drawn to the Islamic State, but such individuals are a small minority among those detained.

Neither the army statement nor the reports that followed explained what the affiliation consisted of. It is not stated whether the two were members of an organised ISIS cell, had contact with the group outside the territories, or were described as supporters who took inspiration from it.

How the reports differ

The accounts agree on the main facts: four detainees, an overnight operation, the Menashe or Jenin area, two said to be linked to ISIS, and a transfer to the ISA for interrogation. There is a difference in emphasis on what the suspects are accused of. The IDF and ISA statement says they were involved in advancing attacks, while Fabian's summary says they had planned attacks. Both descriptions are attributed to the military, and neither indicates that any attack had been carried out or was about to be.

Every account of the suspects' activity comes from the Israeli security establishment. The two media reports relay the military's description rather than adding independent information about the people detained.

What the reports do not say

None of the reports names the four detainees, gives their ages or home towns, or says which villages or neighbourhoods were entered. No details have been released of the attacks they are alleged to have been preparing, or of any weapons or materials seized. The basis for the ISIS affiliation claim has not been published. No response from the detainees, their families or any Palestinian body has been reported, and it is not yet known whether any of them will face charges.