A memorial mural depicting five terrorists on a private wall in the Israeli Arab city of Umm al-Fahm was eliminated this weekend by Israel Police.
The memorial honored five terrorists who were residents of the city, including three who shot and killed two Israeli Druze police officers during a 2017 attack on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Cop-Killing Terrorists Honored by Wall Mural in Israeli Arab City of Umm al-Fahm
Police were deployed to paint over the mural after Mayor Samir Mahamid said his administration could not take action since the wall belonged to a private property, and the property owners refused to do so.
“I explained to the police that I don’t have the authority to act and asked them to decide what to do,” Mahamid told Haaretz.
Last Thursday Prime Minister Naftali Bennett postponed a trip to the city to promote COVID-19 vaccinations that were scheduled for Friday, saying the move came in response to planned demonstrations and security considerations.
Escalating violence and crime in the Arab sector has prompted the formation of a government ministerial team to deal with the issue. The team held its first meeting on Sunday (Oct. 3) afternoon.
Gov’t Plans to Focus on Illegal Weapons, Criminal Penalties
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett approved a working plan presented at the meeting by Deputy Public Security Minister Yoav Segalovitz, that will focus on dealing with the issue of illegal weapons, in coordination with the IDF and the ISA.
In addition, the Justice Ministry will advance a series of laws that will provide the various enforcement agencies with additional tools, including minimum sentence legislation for possessing and trafficking in weapons, according to a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
“Coordinated staff work will be carried out in cooperation with all relevant ministries and agencies including the Israel Police, the ISA, the National Security Council, the Attorney General, the State Attorney, the Tax Authority, the Israel Money Laundering Prohibition Authority and others,” the PMO said.
Implementation is to begin immediately.
According to those at the meeting, there is no need to amend the ISA Law. “The ISA will act as necessary in the framework of the existing law, which allows it to exercise the necessary authority,” the PMO said.
