The upswing in violence in the Arab community continued unabated over the weekend, as a 28-year-old man in Kalansuwa was shot dead Saturday evening and a 25-year-old Bedouin man was stabbed to death near Ofakim in the morning, bringing the total number of murders in the Arab community to 101 since the start of the year.
This marks the 15th and 16th murder since the start of the month, adding to the deaths of the five young men, including a 15-year-old in Yafia earlier this weekend and the murder of a young woman in western Galilee. Two suspects were arrested in connection with the deadly stabbing in Ofakim, Israel Police announced.
The spate in murders comes as thousands of Arab Israelis protested on Friday, calling for action by the authorities.
Many in the Arab community blame the government and the police for the crime wave, asserting that they have failed to crack down on criminal organizations and have largely ignored the violence. Experts also say that powerful Arab gangs have collected large quantities of illegal weapons over the past two decades.
There has been an increase in criticism against National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, with six former police chiefs and 42 deputy police commissioners sending a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday urging him to remove Ben-Gvir from his post, warning that he poses “a tangible and immediate danger to the security of the State of Israel.”
Failing to tackle violent crime
Successive governments have struggled to properly tackle violent crime, and it has increased drastically this year. It took until November 2022 to reach 100 murders in the Arab sector, but only until June this year to reach that mark.
Netanyahu ordered the establishment of a special committee last week and Ben-Gvir held meetings with Israel Police Chief Kobi Shabtai and other district commanders on the issue.
President Isaac Herzog described the situation on Thursday as an emergency.
“The State of Israel is facing a wave of extreme violence and crime. Civil terrorism strikes first and foremost in Arab society, but it does not stop there. As is the way of terrorism – it has no boundaries. Murder and more murder, women and men, of every age, and even today – which looks just like a massacre in Yafia.” In an emotional plea to end the violence, Herzog said that Israel must act to eradicate it.
“Worlds are destroyed, entire families crash,” Herzog lamented. “This is one of the most central challenges for the State of Israel and we must act urgently against civil terrorism in any way and with all parties joining together.”