Police and security forces are working to crack down on incitement to violence, especially ahead of the Jerusalem Day flag march next week, Israel Hayom has learned.
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According to law enforcement officials, terror groups in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Authority are using social media to spread fake news about the IDF's Operation Shield and Arrow in an effort to incite Arab Israelis to riot.
"Behind the scenes, there is a national effort to curb and deal with incitement to terrorism," one source said. The terrorists seek to "enflame the region and push Arab Israelis to demonstrate and protest, which is why our mission is to maintain calm."
The efforts are led by a special team in charge of dealing with incitement to terrorism and violence, which was established by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir shortly after taking office. It includes officers of the police, the State Attorney's Office, and the Shin Bet security agency.
Since its establishment just a few months ago, it has already identified 372 posts, of which 163 included incitement to terrorism. Sixty-three investigations were launched and 18 individuals were arrested, against five of whom indictments have already been filed.
Terror groups are essentially looking for a repeat of Operation Guardian of the Walls when the Israeli military not only had to deal with an escalation in Gaza but Israel's mixed cities as well.
Violent riots by Arab Israelis led to nighttime curfews, such as in the mixed city of Lod, and even lynches against Jews, which led to the death of one Israeli.
Again, "we see that the intention is to harness Arabs Israelis and take them out to demonstrate or confront the security forces," a senior police officer told Israel Hayom.
He said efforts to counter fake and inciting information have already proved successful. "This worked well during Ramadan, and our explanatory videos against the terror organizations were distributed throughout the entire Middle East."
Ben-Gvir also addressed the matter on Thursday, saying, "The war on incitement to terrorism is always important, all the more so on days like this, such as Jerusalem Day, when incitement is increased."
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