Israeli PM Convenes Subcommittee To Combat Surge in Arab Sector Murders

In response to a series of murders and political assassinations in Israel’s Arab sector, including the recent killing of a local council candidate and a Tira civil servant, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli ministers will convene a subcommittee dedicated to combating this rising issue. The Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service, announced on Wednesday its participation in the investigation of Tuesday’s murder.

Netanyahu will chair the 4 pm meeting, which will be attended by Justice Minister Yariv Levin, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Interior Minister Moshe Arbel, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Economy Minister Nir Barkat, and Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli.

Late Tuesday night, four Druze men, three from the Saab family, were shot dead in Abu Snan. One of the victims, Ghazi Saab, had denounced the rise of violent crime in the Arab sector. Qadi Shaykh Mowafaq Tarīf, spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel, called the crime a massacre and demanded government action.

The Hadash-Ta’al party blamed the government, citing that over 150 people have been murdered in the Arab sector in the last eight months, compared to 106 in all of 2022. Netanyahu referred to the situation—”these murders, the criminal organizations, the protection rackets, taking over municipalities” as “something we cannot afford.”