Arab society stages nationwide strike over police failure to curb violent crime |
Arab leadership in Israel on Thursday held a nationwide general strike over the police’s failure to stem an ongoing wave of violent crime and near-daily killings besetting the community.
Arab society experienced its deadliest year on record in 2025, with 252 homicide victims. And since the start of January, 20 more people have lost their lives to violent crime. Polling in the past year has shown that the vast majority of Arab society lacks trust in law enforcement.
Nearly all Arab cities and towns shut down Thursday as part of the protest action, which evolved from a local strike in Sakhnin after several shop owners were targeted in extortion-related shootings.
The High Follow-Up Committee, the leading umbrella organization in Arab society, called for residents to join a 3 p.m. march from a mosque in Sakhnin to the nearest police station, demanding law enforcement stamp out protection rackets that have taken a major toll on Arab-owned businesses.
Arab Bedouin citizens in the south are also striking en masse, and a parallel demonstration is to be held in Rahat, Israel’s largest Bedouin city.
Sakhnin Mayor Mazen Ghnaim said blame for the situation rests on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “He is responsible for providing security to every citizen, regardless of whether they are Jewish or Arab.”
כל הכבוד לסכנין.
לא סיסמאות, לא פוסטים – שביתה. מחיר כלכלי אמיתי כדי להגיד:
עד כאן‼️
בסחנין הבינו מה שרוב המגזר עדיין מפחד להבין:
זכויות לא מקבלים בתחנונים. מקבלים כשעוצרים את המערכת.
חבל שראשי רשויות,........