Massive Shipment of Weapons to East Jerusalem Seized

November 21, 2014

2 min read

Israeli police seized a massive shipment of weapons, makeshift and otherwise, bound for East Jerusalem, authorities announced Thursday. The assortment arrived at the port in Ashdod in two containers labeled “Christmas lights”.

According to a police statement, the containers, which were shipped from China, held roughly 18,000 firecrackers, 5,200 knives, 4,300 Taser-flashlight devices, 5,000 electric shock devices and 1,000 swords.

The Jerusalem Post reported that the weapons were uncovered during an undercover investigation undertaken by Jerusalem police and tax and customs officials. They were hidden under a layer of Christmas decorations. The containers were addressed to residents of the East Jerusalem neighborhood Beit Hanina. It is suspected they were intended for use in further riots.

On Tuesday, the shipment was retrieved by three Arab Israelis from northern Israel who arrived in two trucks and took the containers to a warehouse in Afula. They, along with the truck drivers and the owner of the Afula warehouse, were arrested before unloading the weapons.

Firecrackers have become a weapon of choice in recent riots, with several incidents of Palestinians lobbing them at police reported recently. As a result, police have now been permitted to use live fire against them.

Earlier this month, following numerous calls to ban the import and sale of firecrackers in Israel, Economics Minister Naftali Bennett agreed to a temporary prohibition. A vote on November 15 enacted the ban, set for 60 days and in force until February 15.

“I am generally opposed to such bans – after all, we are not going to ban the importation of cars because they kill people in car accidents, and we will not stop importing knives because they are used to stab Israelis,” Bennett said at the time, Israel National News reported. “A total ban on firecrackers is not the answer. I believe the solution will come only with an increase in our supervision and determined work by police to prevent rioting,” he added.

The firecrackers themselves are legal in Israel; those found Tuesday were of a class which can be obtained and used with a permit. Legal importers fear a ban will hurt their businesses.

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