Mayors on Intent: Violence in Arab society is slipping into local authorities in the sector

The murder of the young man from Kafr Qasem joins grim statistics of 91 victims since the beginning of the year. The shooting at the homes of local councils from the Arab sector has also become commonplace. The joint list says progress achieved on the issue was rejected following the election. "Terrorism by Civil Crime Organizations"

Mayors on Intent: Violence in Arab society is slipping into local authorities in the sector

Towards the end of a bloody year in Arab society, which led to protests against rising violence, another murder (Saturday) of Kfar Qasem resident Johar Abu Jaber joined the dismal statistics. Data from the Amman Center, the Arab Center for Combating Violence, show that 91 homicides have been recorded since the beginning of the year. Among the murdered this year are 80 men and 11 women. By comparison, in 2018, 75 Arabs, including 61 men and 14 women, were murdered.

The murder comes in addition to being harassed by the heads of Arab local councils across the country. During the night, unknown persons fired at the home of the mayor of Sakhnin, the Abu Dhabi city. The mayor's vehicle was also set on fire in the parking lot. There were no casualties since the mayor is staying at a conference of heads of authorities in Belgium.

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"A murky wave of organized crime." Protest in Sakhnin, today (Photo: Joint List Communication)

Sakhnin protest against rising violence on December 14, 2019 (Photo: Joint List Communication, official website)

Police launched an investigation, and about an hour later two young residents of the city were arrested on suspicion of involvement in the incident. The suspects, young people aged 22 and 23, were brought for questioning and Saturday night will be brought to trial to extend their detention in Haifa Magistrates' Court. A few hours after the incident, the mayor thanked Facebook for anyone interested in his safety and updated: "Thank goodness, I'm fine and the people in my house are fine."

About 200 people protested earlier today following the case, initiated by the Sakhnin and the Township People's Committee. Co-chairperson Ayman Odeh said: "After the anti-crime protest, we made significant progress toward a systematic program to curb violence, but it was again rejected following the re-election. This reality is the result of a government that would rather protect the future of the offender who heads it than protect civilians from criminal organizations. "

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Mayors threatened: "unbearable situation"

The night shooting joins shooting events on the homes and cars of other councilors in recent months, including the homes of Tamra councilors and Kfar Yasif. A shooting opened on the car of a Nahaf councilor. This week, a security guard was shot and seriously wounded at the door of the home of Jadeida-Makhar local councilor Suhil Solem. Two weeks ago, shots were fired at his house and a car belonging to a family member was set ablaze and burned completely.

Also, a month and a half ago, a grenade was thrown at the home of Gush Milk Local Councilor Elias Elias, and a car parked nearby. That night, in Deir Hanna, unknown people shot at the council's CEO and at his car parked near him.

Rahat city engineer Ibrahim Abu Sahiban was shot dead in October by an anonymous man. Shots were also fired at the home of Rahat Faiz Abu Sahiban. He is threatened and also forced to hang out with security guards. So does Tamra Mayor Dr. Suhail Diab, and Yasif Shadi Shwiri village councilor, after anonymity fired at his home in late October.

In October, an anonymous gunfire fired at Councilman Abdel's car at Basset Park, which was parked near the council building. In the village of Reina, Acting Mayor Jamil Brancy was attacked. An iron-water corporation engineer from Umm to Coal was shot dead during his work in Taibe.

Shooting was carried out and the vehicle was set on fire. The home of the mayor of Sakhnin, tonight

The scene of the mayor of Sakhnin mayor's car and shooting at his home on December 14, 2019 (Photo: Untitled)

"I think this is a dangerous and unbearable situation," said the appellant's local council head, Adv. Mudar Younes, who chairs the national committee of the heads of the Arab local authorities. "Public servants who took it upon themselves to serve the residents find themselves, their families and property threatened and attacked and in fact no one will defend them. "In the meantime, in our knowledge, none of these cases were apprehended and prosecuted."

Younes added that "this phenomenon is not a point here and there. There is a very serious attempt by criminal organizations to come in and take control of the local authorities, and our fear that this will develop from a much broader and more dangerous direction than the reference to the phenomenon in the meantime threatens the work of all local authorities and central government. We must intervene and eradicate this matter. It creates a situation in which ordinary day-to-day decisions that can affect one or the other resident may encounter extremely violent and unexpected reactions. At any rate, we take this matter very seriously, but we feel helpless. "

"We have heard promises, but violence is increasing"

MK Jaber Asakala came to the mayor of Sakhnin, saying that "The injury to the family and property of the mayor of Sakhnin is harming every one of the residents of the city. We strongly condemn such behavior and call on all residents to unite in the fight against these foreign phenomena. It is the responsibility of all of us to keep our peace and security. "

According to Asakla, "events of this kind are foreign to the city of Sakhnin, but unfortunately like in the rest of Arab communities, the police's ineptitude and Israel's longstanding neglect policy have brought our society to a state where more than one million civilians are hostages of some criminal organizations."

The 80th man killed since the beginning of the year in the Arab sector. Abu Jaber

Johar Abu Jaber killed in Kafr Qasem, December 14, 2019 (Photo: official website)

He added that "the terrorist activities of criminal organizations against civilians and elected officials are only increasing. We have heard many promises from the government and the police, but in practice the violence is only increasing and the criminal organizations do not feel threatened at all."

MK Joseph Jabarin said that the wave of vulnerability in elected officials "requires the personal intervention of the interior minister to ensure the safety of elected officials. The background to the injury is related to fulfilling their role and using their authority as elected officials in the face of a murky wave of organized crime. When the police turn a blind eye and the government decapitates 20% of civilians, crime thrives and elected officials are in danger. "

91 murders a year. Protest against crime in Umm al-Fahm, October (Photo: Courtesy of Pant)

Protest of violence in the Arab sector, mother of coal, October 5, 2019 (Photo: Courtesy of Panett, official website)

Former BLA chairman Jamal Zahalka said: "The spread of crime and violence in Arab society is a direct result of criminal discrimination in police and governmental care. If such a situation were in Jewish cities, they would declare emergency treatment and mobilize all resources to do so. The crime of shooting at the mayor of Sakhnin and calling on the police to act immediately and firmly to apprehend and punish the humiliated criminals. "