Ramallah: Nearly half a million Palestinian citizens living in Israel are at the mercy of organized crime gangs operating extensively in their communities. The gang’s activities resulted in the deaths of 125 people in 2021, of whom 62 were under the age of 30, and 14 others have died since the beginning of this year.
According to the police in Israel, there are seven criminal gangs operating in Arab communities. Some of their members had previously worked as “contractors” for Jewish crime organizations, but by 2016 many of these had been dismantled and Arab gangs filled the void with thousands of weapons at their disposal.
Many factors fuel organized crime and the violence that comes with it within Arab communities. For example, Israeli banks will not give loans to people who do not have a manufacturing license from the Israeli authorities. Instead Arabs ask for loans from the black market or from criminal gangs and families; If they fail to pay the dues on time, they are made targets of violence.
A career in crime is an attractive option for youths aged 16 to 18 as it gives them quick and easy access to money.
The cash flow extends to arms smuggling, which is highly profitable: a pistol costs between $3,086 and $6,173, while an M16 assault rifle costs around $21,605. Weapons offered for sale are usually stolen from Israeli military warehouses.
Most suspects arrested and prosecuted in connection with organized crime are low-level “contractors”, not gang leaders or funders of crimes.
A significant obstacle to efforts to combat organized crime is the distrust within the Palestinian community of Israeli police and the belief that they do not adequately deal with crime in the Arab regions. The police, in turn, blame the community for not cooperating with the crime fighting efforts.
Arabs say that if they report criminals, they are the target of revenge attacks and the police do not protect them. He says the police take action to confiscate the weapons, but do not arrest many of the suspects, and that some of those arrested are on trial.
Police say they need enough evidence to prosecute the suspects, but it is difficult to obtain because they lack adequate staff, budget and technology.
Some have called for using the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service, to assist the police, but strongly object to the agency’s interference in civil affairs.
Meanwhile, violence continues largely unabated, despite Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Public Security Minister Omar Bar-Lev’s pledges to crack down heavily on organized crime and illegal weapons, although Israeli police have been critical of Saif’s handling of the violence. has answered. A unit called the Palestinian Community.
According to a police statement obtained by Arab News, the number of shootings has decreased by 36 percent since the beginning of this year.
Colonel Yigal Ezra, head of the Anti-Crime Division in the Arab Division of the Israeli Police, said: “The Israeli police have committed several killings since the beginning of the year. We have filed charges against 122 suspects, who have been identified as the main perpetrators of the crime, and arrested 102 of them.
Israel’s population of 9 million people, including 1.5 million Palestinian citizens, is currently controlled by a 32,000-strong force. Law-enforcement authorities want to recruit more than 5,000 additional personnel, increase their budgets and gain access to better technology.
There is hope that the police can intensify their campaign against organized crime in the Arab community as Arabs have recently started moving into Jewish cities adjacent to Arab villages, an issue that the police cannot ignore.
Meanwhile, organized crime and the violence that accompanies it continues in the Palestinian community, despite the authorities’ claims about its decline. In fact, the adoption of car bombs as a weapon has significantly increased the threat posed by gangs.
Rida Jaber, director of the Aman Center, which monitors organized crime, said: “Police performance has improved, but it is less than necessary and they should redouble their efforts to combat crime and violence in the Arab community.” Violence in the Arab community, told Arab News.