Israeli PM urges to combat ‘violent crimes’ in Arab towns

TIL Desk/World/Jerusalem/ Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned on Sunday that violent crimes in the country’s Arab society are spiraling and must be curbed. Bennett made the remarks at a ministerial meeting, during which the ministers approved a new measure, which expands the police authority to conduct searches even without a search warrant when there is “a reasonable suspicion” for a serious crime.

In early October, the government decided that the army and Shin Bet internal security agency will take part in its efforts to combat the soaring wave of violent crimes in the country’s Arab society. The Arab communities in Israel have been affected by spiraling violent crimes over the past years.

Arab leaders in the country have called for years the government to step up its effort against the crimes. Israeli Arabs are the descendants of Palestinians who stayed on their lands during the 1948 war, known by Jews as the Israeli Independence War and the Palestinians as “the Nakba,” or the catastrophe. They suffer widespread discrimination in many fields including education, health, and infrastructures.