The Arab-Israeli community is demanding justice after an alarming spike in gang-related murders among its youth. The number of gang-related murders involving Arab-Israeli citizens has tripled in the last year, according to a report by the OneVoice Movement.
The report found that more than 100 Arabs have been killed in gang-related violence since 2016, with the number of deaths in 2020 reaching a staggering 39.
The troubling trend highlights a growing number of cases involving young Israeli Arabs who are being drawn into organized crime and the country’s expanding drug and arms trades.
The Arab-Israeli community is now calling on the Israeli government to take urgent action to address the root causes of the violence and protect vulnerable youths from becoming involved in such activities.
They are also asking for more support systems to be put in place to help young people successfully transition out of gangs and criminal involvement.
In recent weeks, several Arab-Israeli civil society groups have held large demonstrations in an effort to draw attention to the issue and push for meaningful policy change.
Leaders such as Joint List leader Ayman Odeh and the mayor of Nazareth, Ali Salam, have joined the calls for justice and appealed to the government to take action.
The government has responded with a package of measures, including increased police presence, increased security cameras in Arab neighborhoods, and increased monitoring of gang activities.
The hope is that this increased focus on crime prevention will help to reduce cases of gang violence and bring justice to victims and their families.
