In Rama they demonstrate for the suspected head of the council, and are happy about the arrests in secret - voila! news

2023-02-13T17:46:47.751Z

Despite the demonstration against the arrest of Shauki Latif, suspected of crimes within a criminal organization in the "Black Billion" case, there are people in Druze society who express satisfaction with the police operation. "They hurt the weak," they say about the perpetrators, and express anger at the heads of the authorities and the religious leadership who do not come out against the phenomenon

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Dozens of protesters went out on Saturday to the entrance to Rama, and expressed support for Shawki Latif, the head of their authority.

Latif was arrested last week as part of the police operation that was named "The Black Billion".

The head of the council and 21 other suspects were arrested following an investigation of what the police define as the "Abu Latif crime organization".

The head of the council is suspected of crimes within the framework of a criminal organization, assisting a criminal organization as a public figure and conspiracy to commit a crime and extortion by threats.

At the same time that some residents of Rama expressed support for their head of the council, there are those who welcome the police operation, and the wave of arrests carried out after a long investigation.

Luxury vehicles confiscated from the Abu Latif crime organization (Photo: Israel Police spokeswoman)

Money seized from members of the criminal organization (photo: Israel Police spokeswoman, police spokeswoman)

"In recent years there has been a feeling that crime in the Druze sector is paying off," says a Druze public activist.

"People saw and realized that those who join criminal organizations get rich and live well, while the common people suffered because of them. The criminals did not help the common man, on the contrary - they hurt the weak. In conversations between people, there is a sense of satisfaction following the operation and people say: 'Well done to Ben Gabir.'"

The speaker pointed out that in the recent past, Druze society did not suffer from crime and delinquency, and protection phenomena were not known in Druze settlements.

"But in recent years there is hardly a day without incidents of shooting and violence. Our society has become cowardly, and did not come out against the phenomenon. They did not set limits and did not repel corruption. There is anger towards the heads of the local authorities and towards the religious leadership, who did not come out against the phenomenon, and accepted it as a matter of course ".

He emphasized that "the silence in the face of the criminal cases has damaged and eroded our society. A reality of insecurity and harming the weak has been created. People are really being abused. There are people who have no choice but to take out loans on the gray market, and after not being able to repay the crazy interest rates, they simply take everything from them - houses, land , vehicles".

Windshields of cars smashed by the organization in Hazor HaGalilit (Photo: Walla! System, Moshe Biton)

A letter to take responsibility for the shattering of the windows in Hazor HaGalilit (photo: Walla! system, without)

Another public activist clarified that "of course the majority is against crime", but said that he prefers not to expand on this, because in the past they tried to harm him after he came out against the crime phenomenon.

In the arrest operation last week, mainly suspects were arrested for assisting in the laundering of the funds accumulated from the criminal activity.

Among the detainees is also a retired security forces officer.

The court granted his defense attorney's request, and forbade his name to be published.

While the police investigation continues to reveal the extent of the assets in the hands of the suspects, they are also engaged in trying to find the person who smashed the windshields of 14 cars in Hazor HaGalilit early yesterday morning.

These are old cars, belonging to hardworking people.

The owners of the cars live in a building on the outskirts of Hazor HaGalilit, near the Wadi, in a way that makes it easier for the criminals to escape after committing the act.

There are no security cameras either.

This event is different from the reactions previously attributed to the Abu Latif organization.

He was then attributed to shooting incidents at bank branches in several settlements in the Galilee.

It was then believed that this was a response to the attack on Nidal Abu Latif, following a police raid on his home in Kfar Varadim, although it has not been proven that the suspects were indeed sent by him.