The violence in Arab society continues unabated, everywhere and at all times, and always garnering across-the-board condemnations. The criticism is usually directed at the police, somewhat justifiably, although things return to "normal" shortly after as we are all left to wait for the next murder. Not for the next shooting or violent crime, which seemingly occurs every hour of every day, but for the next appalling murder.
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Arab society in Israel has already seen it all: the murder of a child, an elderly woman, the murder of a singer and an actor, the murder of a doctor – even a shooting at a wedding. Frustration and anger are growing; especially as such instances have become an actual matter of routine. There is a mounting sense of fear, insecurity, helplessness, despair, and lack of faith in the Arab leadership, the police, the government, and the state because no one has an answer for eradicating the rampant crime. Everyone talks, no one takes actual action.
The murder at the wedding in Tayibe and Segev Shalom, which brought the number of Arab civilians who have been murdered this year to 90, sparked online protests under the banner "Arab Lives Matter" – an imitation of the "Black Lives Matter" movement in the US. The protest has thus far succeeded in raising awareness of the issue on social media, but not on the ground, and should therefore be encouraged with the goal of enlisting all the country's citizens to apply massive public pressure, mainly on the decision-makers, to fight this crime and violence with an iron fist. Many signs already indicate this violence has started spilling over into the Jewish sector.
It's hard to pinpoint one factor as solely responsible for all that's happening in Arab society. The body charged with enforcing the law, ensuring personal safety, and maintaining public order is the Israel Police. With that, however, when the Shin Bet took over investigating the violence, lynches, and vandalism that occurred during Operation Guardian of the Walls, hundreds of Arab youths were arrested, from the north to the south, most of them still in custody and awaiting trial for committing national security offenses. We can conclude, therefore, that when an Arab citizen harms a Jewish citizen he is treated harshly and brought to justice, but when he harms his Arab neighbor, he is treated differently.
The Israel Police has lost its deterrence capability and has failed in its duty and mission. I don't need to make this argument – the statistics speak for themselves. And as a result of this absence of deterrence, the shootings spread to one of its senior commanders, Maj. Gen. Jamal Hakroush, the head of the unit fighting the surging crime in the Arab sector. And what did the Israel Police do about it? The same thing it did following the previous dozens and hundreds of yet-unsolved murders. Why? This is the question the Israel Police must answer in front of a national commission of inquiry, which needs to be established to examine the police's claim that organized crime bosses are collaborators and that the Shin Bet is protecting them, or determine whether it truly has failed in its duties and is incapable of doing its job in the Arab sector.
Regardless of any answer to any question, the Shin Bet must be brought into the picture before it's too late, and before these criminal organizations continue claiming victims, Jewish and Arab alike.
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