Officers arrested a dozen members of the notorious Hariri crime organization in an early-morning raid on homes in several Arab and West Bank villages Monday morning, police announced on Monday.
The members, including a senior member whom police described as the “arbitrator of the underworld,” were arrested on charges of extortion under threat and the use of explosive devices. They are also accused of having extorted residents in the Samaria region of the West Bank and demanding payments totaling millions of shekels.
According to the statement, officers from the Judea and Samaria District, along with undercover tactical Border Police forces, and with support from the Israel Prisons Services and the IDF, raided homes in Umm al-Fahm, Taybeh, Kafr Qasim, and Nablus. The police found weapons, drugs, cash, and vehicles during the raids.
Following the raids, Judea and Samaria District Commander Moshe Pinchi issued a statement rebuking organized crime.
“We will not allow crime organizations to cooperate with terrorist groups, establish a foothold in Judea and Samaria as safe havens or operational bases for exporting criminal and security-related terror. Any such attempt will be met with an uncompromising response,” he said.
Police have been investigating Harari organization for months
One of the largest crime groups in Israel, the police have suspected the Hariri organization of a wide range of crimes, including “extortion, threats, violence, shootings, the throwing of explosive devices, and even murder,” making Monday’s pre-dawn raid a significant development in Israel’s struggle against organized crime.
Police previously targeted the Hariri group, including a December 2025 raid following a year-long undercover investigation. In January, authorities indicted several men affiliated with the group on charges of extortion. According to police, the men extorted a victim and threatened to hurt his family, demanding monthly payments in the tens of thousands of shekels.
Yuval Barnea contributed to this report.