בנימין נתניהו בני בגין מליאה מליאת הכנסת
Photo: Gil Yohanan
'Crime in Arab sector has turned it into Wild West'
Netanyahu says crime in Arab sector 'makes their lives unbearable'; police chief speaks against 'honor killings'
The parliamentary commission on inquiry investigating "civilian terror in Arab society in Israel," convened Monday.
The meeting was called by MK Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta'al). Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch, Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino, Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz and Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin attended.
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Aharonovitch presented alarming data regarding crime rates in the Arab sector, saying that over 30% of inmates is Israel's prisons are Arabs.
Aharonovitch noted that in 2011, the police handled 1,100 shootings in the Arab sector and 64 murder cases. "The problem is that too many incidents go unreported… we have to take the data we have and at the very least double it."
Netanyahu noted that while the police's overall data suggested a drop in crime rates in Israel, crime was on the rise in the Arab sector.
"Crime in the (Arab) sector has made their life unbearable', in terms of murder, the murder of women, robbery and harassment. Over 40% of the people fear they will be harmed – it's like the Wild West and we have to do something."
Police Commissioner Danino spoke about the subject of "honor killings," saying that the department has officially dispensed with the term, and now classifies them as "domestic killings."
MK Tibi said that the sector expects the government and the police "to take care of crime, prevent it and solve criminal cases. We also want to know what it being done to collect illegal firearms."
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