Arab-Israelis split on Shin Bet's role in fighting surging violence
Arab-Israelis are divided over the government’s decision to bring in the IDF and the Shin Bet to help police control rising crime and violence in Arab towns.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett convened the first meeting of the ministerial team for combating crime in Arab society on Oct. 3. This team, formed in response to an alarming rise in Arab-Israeli violence, adopted a working plan from Deputy Minister of Public Security Yoav Segalovitz, who will coordinate the inter-ministerial work for implementation.
Segalovitz's plan includes cooperation between the police, the Shin Bet, the IDF, the National Security Council, the Attorney General’s office, the tax authorities, and a whole slew of other official organizations and ministries. “Crime in the Arab society has reached a red line,” said Bennett at the start of the meeting. “What the Arab public must understand is that the security forces are not the enemy; they are the solution. As such, they [the Arab public] should not blame the government. They should work hand in hand with it.”
What was interesting about the meeting was not who attended but who didn’t. No Arab ministers or members of Knesset were present, even though they represent the bulk of the people suffering from the wave of violence.
According to the Abraham Initiatives [NGO working for Jewish-Arab coexistence], almost 100 Arab citizens have been murdered since the start of the year. Nevertheless, the decision to deploy the Shin Bet and IDF in Arab towns and villages shocked many Arab-Israelis, since those organizations are charged specifically with national security. They are not civilian/policing organizations charged with protecting individuals from crime.
