Residents of Omer, who live near the Bedouin settlement of Tel Sheva, are locked in their homes. • Bundles of automatic weapons are fired every evening. • The police work in the settlement to eradicate the phenomenon
Illegal weapons seized in the Bedouin sector (archive)
Photography:
Dudu Greenspan
In recent days, Omer residents have been reporting gunshots heard from the nearby Tel Sheva settlement.
According to the residents' testimonies, bundles of automatic weapons were heard from the direction of the Bedouin settlement.
Those of Omar's men who engaged in activities outside the houses near Tel Sheva locked themselves in their homes and called the police.
They said that in recent weeks there have been many shootings in Tel Sheva, some during wedding parties, but in many cases this is an activity whose nature is unclear.
Police have been called to Tel Sheva, and are working to stop the use of the weapon.
In recent years the police have been dealing with incessant shooting incidents, mainly in the Arab sector, at weddings, gatherings and various gatherings, as well as on the streets.
Uncontrolled firing in Arab localities in Israel has become a common phenomenon, well known to Arab residents suffering from it.
However, despite the increased involvement of Arab society and its desire to bring about change, the police still find it difficult to provide an appropriate solution to the phenomenon, partly due to the refusal of the majority of the Arab population to assist the police in everything related to shootings and weapons.
The Arab sector makes up about 20% of the country's population, but more than 90% of the weapons seized in police-initiated raids were, this year as well, in its localities. Police often encounter resistance, sometimes violent, from residents, and the police have difficulty establishing an evidentiary infrastructure. The rest is due to the distrust of the Arab public in the police.
The head of the Omar Council, former Knesset member Pini Badash, sent a cynical message to the residents of Omar, according to which it is a training of "Bedouin brigades":