State Attorney Adv. Amit Isman addressed today (Thursday) a lot of violence in the Arab sector at the Haifa Law Conference at the University of Haifa, held by the Faculty of Law at the University of Haifa in collaboration with the Israel Bar Association - Haifa District. "One of the biggest challenges facing "Israeli society, if not the largest of them, is the attempt to eradicate the rising violence in Arab society in the State of Israel," said Adv. Isman.
He also referred to the importance of the trust of the Arab public and his cooperation in eradicating the phenomenon, "Simply put - without witnesses there are no cases. Without cooperation it will not be possible to solve crimes. It will not be possible to indict. It will not be possible to manage cases and convict them Criminals who hurt us all, "he said.
Violence in the Arab sector: Killed in assassination in Haifa / Amar Assadi
"One of the biggest challenges facing Israeli society, the government and the entire law enforcement system these days, if not the biggest challenge, is the attempt to eradicate the rising violence in Arab society in Israel. Crime in Arab society is not just a problem of Arab society. But it is a problem for all of us. "
Advocate Isman added that the State Attorney's Office has allocated a lot of resources to thicken its activities in the field and to evidence, "In 2019, 29 operations were carried out in Arab localities.
In 2020, despite being "Corona Year" 43 operations and in 2021, which has not yet come to an end, there are already 62 operations, 48 of them in Arab society. "
He added that one of the most important and central keys to success in the fight against crime in general, and in Arab society in particular, is public trust and cooperation.
In the first stage, he said, the assistance of members of the Arab Society to the Israel Police is required in its attempt to decipher offenses and gather evidence against perpetrators of offenses.
In the second stage, assistance is required for the prosecution authorities in general and the State Attorney's Office in particular, in those cases where an indictment is filed against the perpetrators of the offenses, with an emphasis on the perpetrators of the weapons offenses and the serious violence.
"Simply put - without witnesses there are no cases. Without cooperation it will not be possible to solve crimes. It will not be possible to file indictments. It will not be possible to manage the cases and convict those criminals who harm us all," he said.
Advocate Isman emphasized that crime in Arab society is not only a problem of Arab society, but is a problem of the whole of Israeli society. They have peace and security as it is supposed to provide to all citizens of the country. "
The State Attorney spoke about the fact that it was clear to him that deterrence was not the only tool for resolving the issue of violence and crime in Arab society, but it was a necessary condition.
"The whole system must show zero tolerance and zero tolerance towards those criminals who possess illegal weapons, and the stick and substance of those who use it. The message that must come out of the whole system is that as a rule, such offenses will be prosecuted lock and bars".
He concluded that "during this emergency, I believe that without severe punishment for these offenses, deterrence will not be possible. Without deterrence we find ourselves in a situation where the phenomenon will only intensify. Weapons offenses should lead to long and deterrent prison sentences."
The head of the Bar Association, Avi Chimi, also referred in his speech at the Haifa Conference to Violence in Arab Society, and to the proposal to expand the right of police officers to conduct searches without a court order: Bringing change is a dead letter, it turns out to be a gimmick at best and a media 'spin' at worst, while the Israeli public remains with its hands on its head. "
Adv. Avi Chimi, Photo: Arik Sultan
The head of the bureau added that "crime and violence do not raise their heads only in the absence of deterrence or lack of policing. Violence and crime grow out of despair. Out of frustration. From lack of identity and belonging. From neglect. If we want to eradicate violence, we must give hope. The citizens of the state will be found solely through an equal and corrective allocation of resources within Israeli society. "
Advocate Chimi also referred to the phenomenon according to which public figures need security following threats to their lives: “It is forbidden to accept a situation in which there are threatened public employees who are required for security.
The fact that the head of the public health services at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Sharon Elroi-Price, needs close security, is a low point in the public discourse, over which a black flag is raised. "
