Violence in Israel's Arab community is a "national calamity," Prime Minister Naftali Bennett declared in a statement issued following a meeting with senior government and police officials on Wednesday to discuss plans to tackle violence and crime in Arab Israeli communities.
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The statement, released by the Prime Minister's Office, indicated that the government would soon be making a plan to combat crime in the sector public.
"Violence in the Arab community is a national calamity that has been overlooked for many years," Bennett said.
"Crime is a daily occurrence and fear reigns in the streets. It is the government's responsibility to fight and deal with the phenomenon. It is a national mission," the prime minister continued.
Arab towns and villages have seen an upsurge in violence in recent years, with organized crime perceived as the main driver.
Arab Israelis are highly critical of the police, who they say have failed to crack down on powerful criminal organizations and largely ignore the violence, which includes family feuds, gang brawls and violence against women.
Since the start of 2021, 49 Arab Israelis have been killed in homicides in their own communities, the Abraham Initiatives nonprofit group reports.
In 2020, 96 Arab Israelis were killed in internecine violence.
This article was first published by i24NEWS.
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