Wave of violent crime washes over Arab Israeli communities
Seven killed in Arab sector in series of violent incidents in recent days. Higher Arab Monitoring Committee head cites 'deterioration of Arab society', lack of effective law enforcement as causes for 'worrisome phenomenon', promises to launch campaign within communities to address problem
All red lights went off as fatal violence ripped through the Arab sector last week. After seven people lost their lives in a series of a various events in the past few days, Chairman of the Higher Arab Monitoring Committee Mohammad Zeidan said Sunday to Ynet that this "worrisome phenomenon" needs to be treated thoroughly. He places the blame for the trend on Arab society and law enforcement authorities.
On Thursday before dawn, Hafiza Hujirat, 49, was murdered at her son's birthday party in Haifa. The same night, Jalal Abu-Kamir was killed in Ibton when a grenade went off in his hand. Later Thursday afternoon, Tawfik Sawalha, 33, was murdered in Kfar Kara. A young 23-year-old man was stabbed to death Thursday night in the village of Jedeida, next to Akko.
On Friday morning, shots were fired at young adults in the old city of Akko in what, according to police, led to a settling of accounts on Saturday when a 30-year-old man was murdered. Sunday, violence struck in the south. Two Bedouin soldiers got into a scuttle in Beersheba Mall which resulted in the murder of Alabid Ramez. Two weeks before this, two mothers were murdered – Fadiya Matar from the village of Nahaf and Rania Amar from Horfish.
Scene of the crime in Akko (Photo: Shay Vaaknin)
The Arab Higher Monitoring Committee held a meeting on the recent wave of fatal violence, and decided to establish a special task force to deal with the phenomenon.
"There are two reasons for this," said Zeidan. "One is social decline. We will take action in schools, mosques, churches and amongst parent associations and community centers. We will call on everyone to take responsibility. Each one of these elements has a large influence. I turn to the young people and the parents – open your eyes. This phenomenon is worrisome and is exacting a heavy toll."
The second reason for the violence, according to Zeidan, is that the police are not active enough. Zeidan turned to the interior security minister and the chief of police: "The police need to collect all the illegal weapons and maintain public peace. The State Prosecution also needs to do what it has been charged with and must make harsher punishments so that people understand this is a criminal offense that endangers people's lives."
9,000 shooting incidents a year in north
Zeidan's statements touched upon one of the issues most concerning the police currently. Minister Yitzhak Aharonivitch recently addressed the issue in the Knesset House Committee when he asserted that there has been an increase by tens of percentage points in the use of weapons, and not necessarily at weddings, in the Arab sector. He cited increased arsons and planting explosive devices.
Aharonovitch instructed the police chief to set dealing with the phenomenon as a central objective in 2010.
Northern District Chief Shimon Koren estimated that the phenomenon is particularly widespread. A survey conducted recently in the Galilee revealed that 22,000 weapons have been issued with a license in the district. However, "for every legal weapon, there is an illegal one," said Koren. "We estimate that 12,000 of them are located in the Arab sector."
Among other actions, the police operate special task forces that conduct raids according to intelligence information it receives. "There have been achievements. Just in the last year, hundreds of weapons were seized," noted Koren.
Koren noted that 9,000 reports of shooting incidents were received in the northern district in the past year.
Recently, a Lau missile was seized in Dir al-Assad in the western Galilee that was meant to be fired during celebrations of local elections.
Senior police officials said that the source of the weapons is typically the military or the Palestinian territories. They mentioned the "inconceivable" ease at which weapons and ammunition can be taken out of the military.
