The New Israel Fund and its action arm in Israel, Shatil, have for years supported coalitions and developed leaders to fight back against these criminals, propose solutions, and demand accountability from their elected officials.
At the time of this writing, in 2023, the number of murders in Israel’s Arab cities and towns stands at 111, approaching triple what it was last year at this time. On June 8, in just one day, six people were murdered and a toddler was wounded by a stray bullet. Criminals are flooding Arab cities and towns with guns so that entire communities are caught in the crossfire. It is not safe for people to walk the streets in their own communities. For years, Arab crime families and gangs have been on the rise, emboldened by the negligence of the police and the apathy of the political echelon. The history of this crisis is long and deep, and it is mainly the result of successive governments failing to provide critical elements of infrastructure to Arab communities – from city planning to banks.
This new, far-right government – specifically Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir – is responsible for accelerating this crisis by dropping policies that worked, reorienting the priorities of the police elsewhere, and showing a profound disrespect for 20% of Israel’s citizenry, a citizenry he is meant to serve as an elected representative. Prime Minister Netanyahu, for his part, has recommended that the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service reserved for dealing with terrorism, step in to help. But we know that civilian police work in the hands of the Shin Bet, known for its invasive surveillance tactics, is a recipe to erode the civil rights of Arab citizens in the name of “law and order.”
The New Israel Fund’s long-term strategy to tackle these problems in the current moment is threefold. First, NIF strategically invests in Arab-Israeli society; second, we work through Shatil, our action arm, to organize, train, and consult with civil society actors on the ground; and third, we work to help Arab leadership find and speak to Hebrew-speaking audiences to shift public perception by combatting the racist perception among many Israeli Jews (and the Israeli police) that fault for this violence lies with Arab victims themselves.
Recently, a coalition facilitated by Shatil of civil society organizations along with the National Committee for the Heads of Arab Local Authorities (NCHALA) – the only body that formally represents Israel’s Arab minority – launched a campaign they are calling “We Want to Live.” The goal is to form a united front against both the criminal organizations and government indifference. The day after the six murders, the “We Want to Live” campaign held seven separate demonstrations in Arab towns across Israel. The week before, they spent three days in a protest tent outside of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office. Through strikes, protests, and speaking out in Hebrew, English and Arabic, the goal is to raise awareness, shift perceptions, and propose real solutions that uphold civil liberties. To that end, NCHALA, in partnership with other civil society organizations, is also urging the government to formulate a comprehensive, inter-ministerial plan to deal with the social ills that sit at the root of this violence.
Want to learn more? Check out these additional resources:
- Groundwork Podcast: “Three Bullets,” an episode on organized crime in Arab communities in Israel, featuring activist Maisam Jaljuli
- Violent crime within Israel’s Palestinian minority reaches new heights under Netanyahu Government, Washington Post
- The Return of Israel’s Military Rule Over Palestinian Citizens, +972 Magazine