2003 was the year in which the Israeli police seemed to have lost all control over what was happening in the underworld.
The attempted assassination of Zeev Rosenstein, then the number one target of the Israel Police, in the middle of the day on Yehuda Halevi Street in Tel Aviv - a terrorist incident in which three civilians were killed and 33 injured - brought Israeli crime to the city center and created a deep shock in society.
"The Hamasniks of the underworld have crossed every border," the police said at the time, and went to war fiercely against Rosenstein and the crime families, in order to restore calm to the streets.
Even then, it was clear to everyone that although the crime would not go away, at least the citizens of Israel would have to deal with the usual security troubles and not with those of bloody conflicts between crime families.
The country has not been really quiet since and the assassinations in the underworld have continued, but it seemed to be assassinations between criminals with no connection to innocent civilians.
With the start of 2022, the Israel Police also admit that it feels as if we have gone back 19 years.
The attempted assassination of Nissim Domrani, the son of the head of the crime family, Shalom Domrani, on Sunday this day in the heart of Ashkelon - made the southern city, together with Ashdod, the first cities on the front line.
This time not of the Qassams, but of Israeli crime.
Shalom Domrani, Photo: Dudu Greenspan
A bit of background: Since the recent liberation of Shalom Domrani and who was the financier of his organization and became his rival, Bnei Shlomo - humiliation and the Lachish area have become fertile ground for assassinations.
The Israeli police knew this would be the case and prepared for it ahead of time.
"The Benny and Shalom brothers were members of Shalom Domrani's organization," explains a senior figure in the Lachish district, in a conversation with Israel Hashavua. From Domrani's men - which led to many criminal incidents in the years 2013-2015, such as placing explosives under cars and explosions on the streets of Ashkelon, Ashdod and Kiryat Gat. "
Police sent most of those involved to the jail after those incidents, but matters on the ground refused to calm down.
"Domrani knows who it is"
Israeli criminal organizations, like most criminal organizations in the world, are made up of coalitions.
According to police suspicions, this week the members of the Caucasian Mafia, who joined Bnei Shlomo, tried to eliminate the son of Shalom Domrani - who himself is a member of the coalition with Michael Tansky, the head of the Russian crime family in Ashdod.
"For us, what happened this week with Nissim 'Nina' Domrani is not crossing a red line, but a purple and black line," explains a source close to Mimar Lachish, the unit that won the title of Outstanding Police Unit in 2021. "We imagined that the conflict between Bnei Shlomo's organizations And of Shalom Domrani will erupt in full force when they are released from prison.
We knew that the confrontations between them and their people would come.
But this is a deviation from everything that is acceptable. "
Bnei Shlomo, Photo: Yossi Zeliger
According to intelligence among the unit's members, Shalom Domrani's 28-year-old son distanced himself from the world of crime and even considered changing his last name, so he also allowed himself to run freely on social media and roamed freely without security guards.
"Therefore, in terms of the way we view the incident, the intention here was to convey a message to Domrani peace through a family member, and that opens the gates of hell, because Domrani knows who tried to harm his son," the same source continues.
The three gang members arrested on suspicion of attempted murder of Domrani Jr. are residents of Ashkelon in their 30s, who were apprehended near Dimona, after precise police detective work.
"It can be said that the Pegasus affair directly affected us in the case that took place on Sunday in Ashkelon," emphasizes the most senior person involved in this investigation. "It is not over, because there is another investigation and there will be more incidents, and we must get back the means taken from us. We are dealing here with sophisticated people who are aware of our situation and are doing what is necessary to evade us."
The rules of the game have changed
When we talk about areas of control, we mean first of all the drug market of Ashdod and Ashkelon, which generates tens of millions of shekels a year.
In addition, criminal organizations deal with various issues such as gray market lending, extortion, threats and gambling.
Although the south is the one that has recently ignited, what is happening in Ashkelon also affects the center of the country and the north, because all crime families are connected in one way or another.
To the conflict between the two sides must be added the Lavi family who control the streets, which borders the lowlands and Lachish.
In September 2015, Shalom Shlomo, Benny's brother, was murdered while leaving his home in Moshav Tlamim.
The Shlomo family attributed the murder to the Lavie brothers' organization, but this was never proven.
The Lavie family was also part of Shalom Domrani's organization and at one point set out independently.
After assassinations that shook the underworld, some of the brothers entered the prison for various periods.
In January of this year, Amos Lavie was about to get married with the choice of his heart, when an explosive device was planted in the hall where the celebration took place.
It was the tragedy that actually turned the first three months of this civil year into a bloodbath that no one sees the end of.
Why and what has been the big concern lately?
First, it was the first time criminals used another offender's wedding to harm him.
Once the family members became part of the matter, it was clear that all the lines had been crossed, which is why the attempted assassination of Nissim Domrani - something that was once unthinkable - came to fruition.
The laws that existed before, no longer exist.
It is no longer a struggle for control of Ashdod, Rehovot and Ashkelon, but mutual attempts to change the map of Israeli crime.
Amos Lavie, Photo: Yehoshua Yosef
Do not see the end
For the past year and a half, the Lachish district has been particularly stormy, and the Israeli police know that they have managed to prevent no less than twenty assassinations - an unprecedented number that shows the strength of rivalry between all sides, and shows the fear that accompanies not only their heads Innocents who might fall into the line of fire.
"What is happening now in Ashkelon and the Lachish area is affecting every citizen," explains retired Lt. Gen. Moti Adrei, former deputy commander of the Southern District and commander of the Central Sq. For an incident of criminals - then the danger is clear to all of us.In such situations, one can trust the Israel Police, which may have a lot of criticism that is sometimes justified, but it will know how to deal with the serious crime and eradicate it.
Edrei, Photo: Yossi Zeliger
"I can say that it is not that the crime is over - only this week, after the assassination attempt, another incident in Ashdod was prevented after hard work - but in the end we can see the results of the war on serious crime in the center of the country and in the Arab sector. Also to the south, which has undoubtedly raised its head recently. "
On Tuesday this week, the Israel Police issued a restraining order against Shalom Domrani and his associate Chico Dahan from Ashkelon for clear fear of revenge.
But while the police are trying to reduce risks, it can be assumed that in the 15 days that Domrani will be banned from approaching the city, all parties involved will take care to arm themselves and equip themselves for another round of revenge and control struggles.
For the residents of Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ness Ziona and Rehovot, whose crime has long been part of their daily routine, there are not many reasons for optimism, because if they are not yet in the circle of sponsorship or violence - they have probably been exposed to rising violence in city streets.
The battle for Ashkelon and Ashdod, it seems, is only about to end when one of the heads of the organizations ends his role - either behind bars, or in a more deadly way that characterizes, unfortunately, the imaginary border between the humiliation and the Lachish region recently.
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