Arab society in Israel is on the verge of collapse. If it does not immediately reject violence, it will go down a path of despair, fear, and mistrust from which there will be no return.
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The time has come to take action, instead of just talking about the need for a change and arguing about a lack of care, discrimination, and racism on the part of the authorities.
All those things are true, but if we want to break out of the current situation, if we are genuinely committed to building a better future for our children, we need to take several crucial steps, the first of which is to declare that it is time for another "saison."
I know this term is associated with a traumatic event in Israeli history. The "saison" (hunting season) was the name given to the infighting that occurred when the Yishuv instructed the Haganah, the paramilitary organization that was the precursor to the IDF, to force the Irgun to cease its actions against the British, a move etched in Israeli memory as collaboration with the British government and infighting between brethren.
Without getting into a debate about the rationale for that decision and without ignoring the residual pain of it, the fact is that an organization whose actions were perceived as destructive and dangerous to the fate of the entire Yishuv was denounced, pursued, and its members handed over to the authorities.
Arab society must change its attitude toward violence, especially toward criminal organizations and crime families.
It's time that criminals pay the price of their activity − not just the one they pay when they are caught by law enforcement, but a social price, in their community, within Arab society.
Crime families and criminal organizations have become influential, affecting children and young people like celebrities.
They live in luxurious homes, live a life of wealth, travel in luxury vehicles, and have a say in everything that happens in their communities.
They exploit the vacuum left by the lack of rule of law, appoint themselves as arbitrators in many conflicts, and manage to gain control where Israeli rule of law fails to.
This norm has to be stopped immediately. Law enforcement must rethink its approach. But for real change to happen, Arab society must transform from within, not to become a substitute for the law, but go through a cultural shift.
It takes courage and determination, but the Arab society needs to stand up to the criminals who have infiltrated every area of their lives: condemn them, not provide them with shelter, not keep silent, report their crimes to the authorities, make it clear that the rules have changed. Let the criminals know: the hunting season has begun.
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