SEVEN CHILDREN, ONE SUICIDE BELT

Mother of 7 gets 35 years for smuggling bomb-belt
Latifa Abu Diran, 40, a mother of seven from the Balata refugee camp was sentenced by the Samaria military court to 35 years for her role in transporting an explosives belt that was to have been used in a suicide bomb attack in Rosh Ha'ayin on behalf of the Fatah Al-Aksa Brigades in Nablus. Details of the sentencing, which took place on Sunday, were released by the army on Monday.

Abu Diran had agreed to transfer the explosives belt noting that she would not be subject to searches by soldiers manning roadblocks.

Arrested by security forces last December in her home, the potential suicide bomber and transporter were also arrested the same night as Abu Diran, after they failed to carry out the attack because of the presence of security forces in the area.

After meeting with members of the Fatah Al-Aksa Brigades - who planned to attack and recruited the suicide bomber - Abu Diran agreed to smuggle the explosives belt to a meeting point near Kafr Kassem from where the suicide bomber and transporter were to continue until Rosh Ha'ayin.

Abu Diran first hid the belt under her dress but because of the bulge was instructed to carry it in a black bag. Once reaching the appointed destination she assisted the suicide bomber to put on the belt and then left and returned to her home. The suicide bomber and his assistant prepared to cross into Israel but Palestinian workers gathered nearby told them of the heavy presence of security forces in the area and the two decided to return to their homes.

Prior to the arrest of the three, concrete warnings of plans by terrorists to launch an attack in Rosh Ha'ayin were received by the Shin Bet sparking a high security alert along the seam line border in the Sharon district, which was lowered hours later when they were captured. Shortly after security forces blew up the explosives belt that contained eight kilograms of explosives.