Israeli soldiers accused of selling arms to Palestinians

Israel has been rocked by the revelation that some of its soldiers may have been smuggling arms to the Palestinians, knowing that they could be turned on their own people.

Several Israelis, including a reserve major, have been arrested and military officials said they may be only "the tip of the iceberg".

The news followed Wednesday's double suicide bombing in Tel Aviv which killed an Israeli and two foreign workers, as well as the bombers.

The reserve officer allegedly sold thousands of bullets to four soldiers who then passed them on to Palestinian merchants.

Four Israelis living in two West Bank settlements were also arrested and interrogated over the alleged smuggling of weapons to Palestinians in the Hebron area over the past four years.

Police suspect that they also wore their uniforms to smuggle Palestinians into Israel in return for money.

"Their acts were not acts done in innocence," said an Israeli
detective, Ari Ben Lulu. "They knew exactly what the target of each bullet was. They exploited the trust the army put in them and I would call this treason."

He added: "Who knows if the bullets they sold are not the bullets with which civilians and children from Adora [a Jewish settlement] were killed and dozens of others."

Some police believe that they will eventually uncover a wider smuggling network that has
enabled Palestinians to buy
advanced weapons such as anti-tank missiles.