Over the past year, the alarming growth of violent crime within Israeli Arab communities has received much attention from the Israeli press and government—and has shown no sign of abating. Ben-Dror Yemini examines the problem:
The violence has now reached east Jerusalem, whose Palestinian residents have become the tip of the spear when it comes to interethnic violence in Israel. Violence has also become rampant within the Bedouin community in southern Israel, which has turned into a hotbed for Bedouin-run protection rackets, violent crimes, and uncontrollable theft—occurring in both private residential homes and military bases.
The . . . country’s Arab population is bleeding itself dry with frequent violent blood feuds, as well as countless murders—including of women murdered to “protect the family’s honor.”
The Bedouin minority seems to want conflict despite the state’s willingness to legalize unrecognized Bedouin towns and villages, while the majority of eastern Jerusalem’s Palestinian residents seem to want to continue the fight against the state of Israel.
Israel, nevertheless, must continue investing in the sector, all while correcting the biggest oversight of the last decade: loss of governance that has devolved into nothing less than lawlessness. The blame lies with both the government that let the situation deteriorate due to its reluctance not to butt heads with the Arab leadership, which for its part never seems to take responsibility for the actions of its own sector, which effectively encourages further violence.
Read more on Ynet: https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ry4j7n5ff