Opinion: The rampant violence prevalent in Arab community needs to be stopped with a combined effort by the Arab leadership and the government, which should even establish military rule in areas besieged by crime
Israel’s Arab population has never had a better decade.
About 46% of all Israeli doctors who received their licenses in 2020 hailed from the Arab sector – be they Muslim, Christian or Druze.
Between 2009-2010, the percentage of Arab undergraduate students increased from 13.1% to 19.2%. Now, the number of undergraduates in the Arab sector has pretty much caught up to figures reported in the Jewish sector.
This indicates the time and money the government has invested in the sector over the past few years have certainly paid off, and it makes the recent wave of violence in the sector all the more maddening.
The violence has now reached East Jerusalem, whose Palestinian residents have become the tip of the spear when it comes to nationality-based violence in Israel.
Violence has also become rampant among the Bedouin community in southern Israel, which has turned into a hotbed for Bedouin-run protection rackets, violent crimes, and uncontrollable theft – occurring in both private residential homes and military bases.
The violence has also spread to the country’s Arab population, who is bleeding itself dry with frequent violent blood feuds, as well as countless murders – including of women murdered to “protect the family’s honor.”
Israel, over the past decade, has heeded the calls of various proponents who claimed something must be done to support the Arab sector. It seems, however, that when it comes to crime and nationalistic violence, the results have been nothing but negative.
The Bedouin minority seems to want conflict despite the state’s willingness to legalize unrecognized Bedouin towns and villages, while the majority of East Jerusalem’s Palestinian residents seem to want to continue the fight against the State of Israel.
All in all, it seems the percentage of violent crimes in the sector is rising just as fast as the c’s percentage of doctors. We want equality? Here it is.
Israel, nevertheless, must continue investing in the sector, all while correcting the biggest oversight of the last decade: Loss of governance that has devolved into nothing less than lawlessness.
The blame lies with both the government that let the situation deteriorate due to its reluctance not to butt heads with the Arab leadership, which for its part never seems to take responsibility for the actions of its own sector, which effectively encourages further violence.
Proof of that has been provided by Joint List MK Ahmed Tibi, who did not condemn the attack on a Haredi man in Jerusalem on Saturday, instead of slamming the soldiers who shot dead the bloodthirsty assailant.
Tibi and his compatriots are also guilty of not distancing themselves from the bygone concepts of “honor”, “revenge” and “masculinity” – which are the driving force behind the majority of violence and murders in the sector – as well as constantly lambasting the police, who are trying to fight and quell the violence.
To change the situation we must understand we are in the midst of a state of emergency.
The police, as well as the military, must recruit those from the sector who abhor the violence and who understand Israeli Arabs have something to lose, in order to effectively establish military rule in areas besieged by violence.
As dangerous and unconventional as it may be, military rule is needed to collect the illegal arms flooding the Negev and bring back the rule of law to the south. Otherwise, the Jewish population there will suffer, not to mention the Arabs who will most likely end up suffering much more.
Something must be done before the situation gets worse for everybody.
We must act, not against the Arab sector mind you, but to save it from itself.
As reported by Ynetnews