March 27,
2008: Israel recently arrested five Arab Israelis, including a soldier
stationed on the northern border. The five men got their drugs from Hezbollah,
and paid for it partly with information on Israeli military patrols along the
Lebanese border. Hezbollah has long controlled the drug trade, mainly heroin,
in Lebanon. The drugs are smuggled across the border with great difficulty,
because of the Israeli security measures to keep Arab terrorists out. Hezbollah
clerics preach that it's not criminal to peddle heroin to infidels
(non-Moslems).
Arab
Israelis, except for Druze (an Islamic sect that is considered heretical by
most Moslems) are not drafted into the
Israeli army, but they can volunteer for military service. Arab recruits
receive an extensive background check before they are accepted. Most of those
who get in trouble, do so because of criminal connections. This is one of the
few cases where an Arab Israeli soldier sold military information as part of a
criminal operation.
