The Israeli Arab sector has a “conspicuous involvement” in violent offenses, including drug trafficking and production, cultivation, and possession of drugs other than for personal consumption, according to data presented by Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh on Sunday to the government, Israel Hayom reported Wednesday. The figures show that although the share of Israeli Arabs in the population is only 21%, their involvement in serious crime is more than double this number.
In Genesis 16:12, the angel of God declares that Ishmael, the biblical father of all the Arabs “shall be a wild ass of a man: his hand shall be against every man, and every man’s hand against him.” That “blessing” appears to have taken root not only in terrorist enterprises around the globe, but also in local crime in the Holy Land.
According to police, Israeli Arabs are involved in 57% of all open murder cases, and 55% of attempted murder cases. In arson, Israeli Arabs’ share stands at 59% of the total number of open files. Israeli Arabs are involved in 45% of robberies. They account for 36% of property offenses and 26% of drug trafficking.
It should be noted that in 2016 the share of Israeli Arabs in murder and attempted murder cases was even higher, standing at 63%.
In 2016, Arabs were also involved in 57% of all arson cases; 48% of robberies; 36% of property offenses; and 22% of all drug offenses.
Minister of Internal Security Gilad Erdan (Likud) demanded, as a condition for taking the post, a budget of $570 million for law enforcement in the Israeli Arab sector, to be spent on the establishment of an administration to bolster police services in the sector, establish police stations in the sector, and to recruit Muslims officers. But some of Erdan’s plans, prepared in cooperation with the police commissioner, are still encountering a lack of cooperation from Arab legislators.
Earlier this week, Minister Erdan flatly blamed the Arab MKs for the failures of law enforcement in the Arab sector.
“Let’s tell the truth,” he told the MKs from the Knesset podium, “Those who have to do soul-searching for the murder and the failure to enforce the law in Arab society are, above and beyond – you.”
The police commissioner’s review also revealed encouraging data regarding the police services in the Arab sector, headed by Deputy Commissioner Jamal Hachrush, a Muslim. According to the data, in 2017 130 Muslim Arabs were recruited by the police, compared with only 70 in 2016, and this year there are another 708 Muslims in recruitment. Moreover, in 2016 the number of crime cases decreased to 329,823, compared with 446,689 in 2007.
Some police sources claim that this last data can be interpreted to mean that the number of cases is smaller because the Israeli Arab public has lost faith in the police and is complaining less.
