A recent report issued by the Knesset Research and Information Center shows the extent of violence among Arab Israeli youth as well as the government's inability to deal with the alarming issue.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
According to Israel Police data, there was an increase in cases opened against minors in Israel in 2020 and 2021 compared to 2019, including a 30% increase in cases against non-Jewish minors. The majority of overall cases are Arab teenagers.
It also showed that more students in the Arab sector are exposed to violence than Israelis, especially in high school. Such difficult and sad numbers should have prompted a public discussion, but unfortunately, the matter has passed under the radar.
Israel must accept responsibility to keep Arab youth away from violence and crime. The main key to resolving the problem lies in increasing education budgets. Change won't occur on its own without investment and action.
Our foundation, Yesod, works with the Arab sector. We operate education programs in coordination with the Education Ministry, whose goal is to empower youngsters and provide them with a sense of belonging, freedom of expression and knowledge of their basic rights.
However, this is a "drop in the ocean" compared to what needs to be done, and the state must assume responsibility. Fighting crime is not something the voluntary sector should do. Fighting crime is a national mission.
Reviewing budgets and education programs is essential in this struggle, as is the need for discourse, law education and enforcement.
Lack of knowledge is also an issue. A student participating in one of our programs once said it was the first time he was told about his "rights," not responsibilities, that it was the first time the state "gave" him something, rather than demand.
The government ignoring this leads to devastating consequences. It simply cannot look the other way and watch from the side how the Arab youth deteriorates into violence.
It must determine inter-ministerial policies, areas of responsibility, delegate responsibility, integrate the relevant entities, such as local authorities, and allocate budgets.
A change will only happen when the government makes this a top priority. Otherwise, it will have to deal with much worse statistics, poverty and crime rates down the line.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
