Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and his ministers faced criticism from current and former Arab MKs on Wednesday for not doing enough to end the recent spate of murders and crime in the Arab sector.
Joint List leader Ayman Odeh pointed out that there have been 90 Arab murders this year in Israel.
“They all have names and faces,” he said. “The government can and must end this debacle and make a decision to end the crime and the murders immediately. We cannot wait for the next victim.”
Former Likud minister Ayoub Kara said the ministers and MKs of the current coalition were “putting their heads in the sand as if such murders were an acceptable norm.”
“Instead of protesting, they are cooperating with efforts to downplay this and trampling the state’s self respect,” Kara said. “I call on the ministers to take charge, act like they control the land and prove that they care as much about the lives that have been lost as they care about their cabinet seats.”
Current Likud MK Fateen Mulla, a former deputy minister responsible for the Arab sector, noted some of the most horrid murders in the sector, noting that the Arab affairs adviser to senior ministers was shot at his home a month ago and the police have no idea who did it.
“It seems like scenes from a crime movie, but it is Israel in 2021,” Mulla said. “It is time to use a strong hand. These criminals do not deserve education or culture. We have no more time for conferences and special meetings. All tools must be used to end this phenomenon.”
Religious Zionist Party MK Itamar Ben-Gvir warned that the police are paralyzed by fear of rioting and losing their credibility.
“There will be no solution to the violence in Arab society until they, especially their leaders, respect the state, its laws and its character,” Yamina MK Amichai Chikli said.