Large forces of Northern District policemen and Border Police fighters acted against the Bakri criminal gang, on suspicion of involvement in violent incidents due to a conflict between criminals. May 29, 2023 (Israel Police Spokesperson's Office)
In the government compound in Jerusalem, the protest tent of Arab society against violence and crime was erected on Monday, at the initiative of the High Follow-Up Committee of the Arab public in Israel. According to police data, between 2022 and 2018, there were 690 homicides, in which 731 victims were murdered. Most of the victims – 70% of them – were Arabs, more than three times their share of the population of 3%.
The Arab municipalities with the highest rates were Jisr al-Zarqa, with an average of 21 cases per year per 77,1 residents. Subsequently, Tuba Zangaria, Kafr Yasif, Tira and Tur'an. Among the authorities involved, the highest rates were recorded in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Acre and Nof HaGalil. According to the Monitoring Committee, 000 Arabs, including six women, have been murdered in Israel since the beginning of the year, including eight of them in East Jerusalem, whom the organization lists separately.
The data also show that in the Northern District there were 83 murders, in the Hof District in the North another 27 cases, in the Central District 13, in the Southern District 21, in the Jerusalem District eight and in the Tel Aviv District three cases. 11% of homicides were caused by the use of firearms. Police admit that the monthly average of murders in 95 (until May 2023, 3) was significantly higher than in the previous two years. In Arab society, the average monthly number of murders has almost doubled between 2023 and 2022, even according to police calculations.
Police data on homicides over the past four years (Photo: photo processing, Walla website!)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to the rise in violence in Arab society and said that he worked in his governments to establish nine police stations. "I heard the cries of truth from Knesset members, I am not saying this in order to do my duty," he said. "I've also heard things that have changed over the years. The problem you describe is a real problem. I say this not in defiance, but there hasn't been a consensus about these things like increased police presence and gun collection in the past. I invite all the Knesset members of the Arab factions to my office. This is not a drill, it comes from the bottom of my heart and it is from the understanding that I am the prime minister of all citizens of Israel and I want your help and cooperation and I look forward to this meeting."
The monitoring committee says that so far in May, 21 Arabs have been murdered. "The monthly average exceeds 15 people, and unless there is a dramatic turnaround, the number of victims could cross the 200 mark by the end of the year," the monitoring committee said, expressing frustration that only six homicides have been solved. This figure is almost zero compared to the Ministry of National Security's unambitious goal of examining the success of the Safe Track program in raising the homicide rate to 36 percent.
Data published this month by the Knesset Research and Information Center on crime in Arab society show that for murders between 2018 and 2022, in which the victim was Arab, indictments were filed in only 23% of the cases. The rate of indictments when the victim was Jewish was 71% – more than tripled. The rate of indictments in cases where the victim was Arab has continued to decline, steadily since 2019, when it was 42%, in 2020 it was 35%, in 2021 it was 29%.
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Police data on homicides over the past four years (Photo: photo processing, Walla website!)
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Mohammed Baraka, chairman of the monitoring committee, said: "This is only one step in a wide range of protest measures. We will not give the government a single moment of comfort. Last week we organized a protest convoy that paralyzed traffic on major roads in Israel, this week we will start organizing weekly rallies and within a month we will organize a mass nationwide demonstration and demand immediate treatment of the criminal organizations, which would not have become stronger without turning a blind eye and accepting the state, which has even reached cooperation with them in quite a few cases, according to many reports from within the police itself."
The message of the protest is clear, say the initiators of the protest encampment, who use the hashtags "want to live" and "we blame," and point the finger at the government, which "bears responsibility for the terrible increase in violence in Arab society." "The government and its branches must work to root out crime and its gangs," they said. Over the next three days, activities will be held in the tent with the participation of elected officials and public figures, experts and professionals and bereaved families, who will meet with the general public, representatives of embassies, media personnel and decision makers "in order to reflect the depth of the problem in Arab society and the responsibility of the State of Israel to give a free hand to criminal and violent organizations in Arab society." The events will conclude on Wednesday with a press conference where representatives of the monitoring committee and representatives of bereaved families will speak.
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