Israel defense officials, including retired senior officers in the IDF, police and Israel Security Agency, warned Tuesday that the civilian sense of safety and security is hanging by a thread.
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Among the defense officials participating in the symposium were MK Yoav Galant, a former GOC Southern Command, former Shin Bet security agency director MK Avi Dichter, former Border Police chief David Zur, Maj. Gen. (ret.) Gershon Hacohen, and Brig. Gen. (ret.) Amir Avivi, the founder of Habithonistim–Protectors of Israel, to name a few.
"Unless something is done without delay to stem the tide of crime and violence [in Arab society], there is a grave fear of an escalation in internal security to the point of security forces losing control over the situation on the ground. If we lose [control] over the Negev and the Galilee, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem will also be lost," Galant said.
'"The nationalistic crime that is running rampant and consumes every good part of the Negev and the Galilee is spreading, and it will eventually reach central Israel," he warned.
Dichter echoed the warning, saying, "The issue of violence and crime in Israel in general and in the Arab sector, in particular, requires state-level recognition.
"When there is no law and no justice in Arab society, you begin to see phenomena of violence that are spreading throughout the country, so this should be an operative declaration. We must fight this with full resolve. This is not just a task of the Israel Police – the IDF and Shin Bet must also accept responsibility."
Hacohen said he believed the situation mandates declaring a state of emergency, adding that the May 2021 riots in mixed cities were a prelude to what may come.
"We need to declare a state of emergency. We are at war and unfortunately, our leadership and Israeli society are doing everything to deny the problem. There is a struggle here against Israel's ability to exercise its sovereignty.
"What erupted in May 2021 stems from a general feeling among some Arab Israelis that their time has come," he continued. "The issue of civil protection must be brought back [to the public agenda]. We must fight post-Zionist trends.''
Matan Peleg, head of the right-wing watchdog group Im Tirtzu, which hosted the symposium, said, "We're facing a slippery slope because we are constantly worried about upsetting Arabs. If we get used to it, it would set us back farther than the [1947] Partition Plan.
"We could leave scorched earth to the next generation. We can prevail only if we do not lose sight of our way."
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