Intense Photos Show Undercover Israeli Agents Infiltrating Protest

Undercover Israeli agents shutting down a protest in Ramallah. Image by Getty

By Ari Feldman December 14, 2017

A Reuters photo essay captured undercover Israeli agents shutting down a protest in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Agents wearing Palestinian flags and face masks dispersed a crowd of hundreds by firing their guns in the air and throwing sound grenades, according to witness reports.

“The undercover personnel were posing as Palestinian protesters and were standing behind the stone-throwers,” said Mohamad Torokman, the photographer, who has covered the region for nearly two decades.

Torokman counted eight Israeli security personnel disguised as protesters.

At one point, one of the agents pointed his gun at Torokman.

“He shouted at me and told me to go away,” Torokman said. “I heeded his order for my own safety.”

Undercover Israeli agents are known as “Mistaravim” or “wearing Arab disguise.”

Contact Ari Feldman at [email protected] or on Twitter @aefeldman

Ari Feldman is a staff writer at the Forward. He covers Jewish religious organizations, synagogue life, anti-Semitism and the Orthodox world. If you have any tips, you can email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @aefeldman.

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