Violent crime could lead to civil war, Arab expert warns

• Author: KHALED ABU TOAMEH
• Published date: 29 September 2021

The police are the only body that could fight violent crime in Arab communities, provided that they have the backing of the political establishment, Abu Ras told The Jerusalem Post.

"We may be headed toward civil war. Is this what the government wants?" Abu Ras asked. "Everyone is buying weapons these days. It's become as easy as going to purchase a meal at McDonald's.

cnxps.cmd.push(function () { cnxps({ playerId: '36af7c51-0caf-4741-9824-2c941fc6c17b' }).render('4c4d856e0e6f4e3d808bbc1715e132f6'); });

>

"More and more weapons are being directed against the police and Jewish residents," he said. "Therefore, it is in the interest of the state to fight against the criminals and thugs, because we are all being affected. The police are capable of doing the job, but it's all in the hands of the political echelon. It all depends on a political decision by the government."

Abu Ras – a resident of the town of Kalansuwa in the Triangle and an expert in Arab politics and Arab-Jewish relations – pointed out that the Israel Police was effective in enforcing coronavirus restrictions in the Arab sector, including imposing fines on people for not wearing masks.

"It's all a matter of law and order," he said. "This shows that when the police want to do their job, they are capable of doing so."

Noting that more than 90 Arabs have been killed in violent crime since the beginning of the year, Abu Ras said that there were 16 murders in September alone. "These are horrific numbers," he said.

ABU RAS listed three "deep causes" for the ongoing wave of criminal activities, including homicide.

The first, he said, is related to land disputes and the severe housing crisis in the Arab sector.

"Many of the crimes in the Arab sector are related to disputes over land and the housing crisis," he said. "There is competition over public space. We are not talking about privately owned land, but land belonging to local authorities. People are grabbing more and more land, and each person wants to take land that does not belong to him."

The second "deep cause," Abu Ras said, is related to lack of education and employment among Arab Israelis.

"We have a generation of young people aged 18 to 23 who don't study or work on a regular basis," he said. "This generation represents about 30% of our people. Therefore, it is easy for them to get involved with crime gangs. The gangs try to recruit these young people in return for money. They give a young man a salary of NIS 10,000 and a car, thus boosting...