In light of the ongoing deluge of violent crime in the Arab sector, the Israel Police and Public Security Ministry are launching another operation to collect illegal firearms, Israel Hayom has learned. Within the framework of the operation, the authorities have promised citizens who turn in their weapons that they will not be charged with any crimes.
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The operation is expected to take place in late September. The Arab sector represents some 20% of Israel's population, yet 90% of the illegal firearms in the country are from that sector.
In the past, similar operations have been met with antagonism and resistance. In some of the Arab towns and villages, municipal leaders were either unaware of its existence or didn't know where the police had set up collecting stations. In the last such operation in late 2019, police collected 87 firearms, more than 270 grenades and other explosive devices, thousands of bullets of various calibers and more.
However, as stated, that collection operation was found to be flawed. An Abraham Initiatives report that examined 80% of the collection points found that 57% of them weren't working when monitors visited or were in a different location than originally declared.
The report, which focused on 40 of the 50 collection stations in Arab communities, also said that only 16 of the collection stations had functioned properly, and noted that other stations were either in the vicinity of other law enforcement facilities, outfitted with closed-circuit video cameras, or there were police vehicles nearby, which posed as a deterrent for potential participants due to anonymity concerns. At other stations, the security guards hired to safeguard the stations were from the same villages and towns, which also violated the principle of anonymity.
A police source told Israel Hayom that the success of the operation this time around depends mainly on cooperation from Arab leaders, Knesset members and public figures.
"This is another opportunity for the Arab public, the majority of which is law-abiding, to return weapons and firearms anonymously and without the threat of criminal charges. We need to put an end to the intolerable amount of weapons circulating in the Arab sector," the source said.
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