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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan | ||
| Shin Bet joins investigation into Tuesday's quadruple shooting | ||
| 2023-08-23 | ||
[Jpost] National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir labeled criminal organizations responsible for rising Arab sector crime as "terrorists" and called on the Shin Bet to help fight crime.
“He has failed miserably and become the court jester of the government. If he was in charge, he would have asked to change positions... All he is interested in is the gimmicks of elections and media,” said National Unity MK Ze’ev Elkin. Hadash Ta’al MK Aida Touma-Sliman said that “the government is not addressing the issue... Ben-Gvir wants to control a beaten and frightened Arab population... We demand that there be someone responsible for this issue.” Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas called for the Arab communities to establish trained armed patrols, saying “I am initiating the establishment of civil guard groups and security classes, like in Jewish settlements. Let the police train them and monitor them. “We will do everything necessary to protect the lives of civilians, under supervision and in accordance with the law.” Ben-Gvir called the criminals responsible for the murders “terrorists” and said they were stealing money from the Arab Israeli citizens. “These are terrorist organizations for all intents and purposes, which are currently directing the assassinations inward towards the Arab sector and the rival gangs,” he said. “According to the warnings I receive – in a situation of broad conflict, these militias will turn their fire against the State of Israel. “These organizations kill each other in order to take over state budgets, and most of the money does not go to the welfare of the Arab citizens of Israel, but to the criminal organizations in Arab society,” Ben-Gvir remarked. “Turning a blind eye now and postponing the decision means putting the State of Israel at risk.” He also called for the police to be given “additional tools and additional powers.” In a proposal released on Wednesday, he outlined his plan for “strengthening public peace and security.” He called on the government to involve the Shin Bet, which was later confirmed, in efforts to combat crime in the Arab sector, particularly against criminal organizations. He called to establish “a dedicated unit” within the security agency to tackle the issue. Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas called in an interview for the Arab communities to establish trained armed patrol, saying “I am initiating the establishment of civil guard groups and security classes, like in Jewish settlements. Let the police train them and monitor them. "We will do everything necessary to protect the lives of civilians, under supervision and in accordance with the law.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also joined Wednesday’s special subcommittee to address fighting Arab crime, where leaks from the meeting said he chastised the head of the Arab Authorities Committee, Moder Younes, after the latter refused to admit that criminal organizations were the reason for the crime. In the end, it was clear though that the focus must be on them. Ben-Gvir was backed by Likud MK Hanoch Milwidsky, who told Ynet that “this is a cynical exploitation of the situation, the identity of the minister is not the issue here. The crisis in Arab society vis-à-vis the police is a lack of cooperation for many years.”
Related: Mansour Abbas: 2023-06-06 Ra’am MKs boycott Netanyahu meeting on violence in Arab communities Mansour Abbas: 2023-04-08 One killed, 7 wounded in ramming, shooting terror attacks in Tel Aviv Mansour Abbas: 2023-01-15 Ra’am leader urges Arabs to protest government, but without Palestinian flags; 80,000 protested Bibi Netanyahu’s election Sat night in the rain | ||
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