The State Attorney’s Office on Thursday filed an indictment with the Jerusalem District Court against three security guards who served at a security checkpoint in the Givat Ze’ev area, along with additional defendants, on a long list of offenses, including bribery, receiving bribes, giving bribes, and attempted transportation of illegal immigrants.
The offenses were allegedly committed over an extended period in 2025.
According to the indictment, the guards, Fadi Fares, 43, from Hurfeish, Abdallah Ibrahim, 31, from Abu Ghosh, and Abdul Rahman Saif al Din, 31, also from Abu Ghosh, exploited their public positions and the authority granted to them and, in a systematic manner and in exchange for payment, allowed vehicles carrying illegal immigrants to pass through the checkpoint.
This was done in violation of established procedures, without security screening, and notwithstanding the security risk posed by their actions.
A coordinated pattern allowing illegal immigrants into Israel
The indictment further states that, in one instance, the guards coordinated in advance to implement this method and to permit unauthorized vehicles to pass through the checkpoint. On that day, while one of them was stationed at the checkpoint, he allowed two vehicles carrying illegal immigrants to pass after the second guard had provided him in advance with their details.
In return for allowing the vehicles through, the defendants demanded and received substantial bribe payments. After crossing the checkpoint, the illegal immigrants entered the Givat Ze’ev area and continued on their way without any security screening.
According to the indictment, this was a fixed and coordinated pattern of operation, in which vehicle details were transferred in advance, guard positions were switched, and steps were taken to conceal the acts and avoid detection by law enforcement authorities.
The indictment also states that the additional defendants, Ahmad Julani, 40, from Jerusalem, and Iyad Abu Ghanem, 25, from Taiba, were involved in transporting the illegal immigrants and paid bribes to the guards, thereby taking an active part in the criminal mechanism.
The State Attorney’s Office has asked the court to order the defendants held in custody until the conclusion of the legal proceedings against them.
In the detention request, among other things, attorney Ariel Iluz of the Jerusalem District State Attorney’s Office wrote that “the respondents systematically and extensively brought illegal immigrants into the country over a long period of time, while committing bribery offenses and for financial gain. As detailed in the indictment, the respondents’ actions were carried out during a sensitive security period, during which the State of Israel has been engaged in fighting on multiple fronts.”