Over the past few years, the police and the State Attorney's Office have succeeded in enlisting quite a few prosecution and state witnesses from the Arab sector, following complicated and complex investigations.
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Several of those cases ended up with convictions that sent criminals behind bars, but for those witnesses, trying to return to their everyday life and normal routine proved to be a nightmare. Some of them were even murdered.
The Israel Police, and probably also the State Attorney's Office, are well aware of the circumstances that led to those witnesses' murder or injury but seem unfazed by the phenomenon. So much so, that such incidents go unreported to the public.
On the one hand, the Israel Police said – to a certain degree of accuracy – that it finds it difficult to have Arab Israelis turn state witnesses in cases involving violent crimes, especially when they involve murder or organized crime. On the other hand, the police – and the state for that matter – have utterly failed in protecting these witnesses, on whose shoulders entire cases rest at times.
These witnesses have risked their lives and the lives of their families, at times paying the ultimate price for giving police statements or taking the stand.
Arab Israelis who serve as undercover police agents or confidential informants also pay a heavy price. Just recently, a family in Kafr Qasim revealed that their lives have become a living hell since one of their sons was recruited to work undercover for the police.
He had infiltrated a crime family and over a period of 18 months helped get dozens of felons arrested, but once his identity was exposed the family's life became unbearable – so much so that they had to renounce their son, telling all that he and he alone was responsible for his actions and will therefore have to bear the consequences.
This extreme act had one goal: to save the rest of the family from retribution at the hands of those arrested, their associates, or relatives.
There are no clear numbers available as to the number of Arab state witnesses who have paid with their lives for stepping forward. Still, it is a well-known secret, and like with any other murder in the Arab sector, the community knows what happened, even if they cannot directly name the perpetrators – especially when a third party gets involved in an attempt to fan the flames of tribal feuds.
The State Attorney's Office and the Israel Police would be wise to reveal the real data to the public, and more importantly, to the families of the victims.
Aside from the fact that the lives of these families have become a nightmare, they simply cannot speak up and tell anyone of their suffering because all they want is a normal life without further unnecessary harassment.
Law enforcement authorities are also expected to do their job, i.e. – enforce the law. They must do more to prove that state witnesses or those who testify for the prosecution are kept safe anywhere and anytime, regardless of their ethnicity.
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