Unidentified individuals shot dead a man in his 30s in Qalansawe, an Arab city near Kfar Saba in central Israel on Sunday evening.
Police believe the shooting was part of a dispute between criminals, the latest case of deadly violence between rival underworld groups erupting onto Israel’s streets.
The victim was identified by the Ynet news site as Ahmed Hizam Sharif, who was gunned down in his car.
Sharif is believed to be the 89th Arab killed violently this year, according to the Abraham Initiatives, which has tracked the slayings as they have multiplied in recent years.
According to the group, 71 members of the community were killed in suspected violent circumstances in 2018. That number had risen yearly until hitting a peak of 126 in 2021 and falling slightly to 112 the next year.
In 2022, the murder rate among Israeli Arabs, who account for about 20 percent of the population, was more than 10 times that of Jews.
In an attempt to address this disparity, the government last year unveiled a four-year plan to combat violent crimes in the Arab community specifically. It says it carried out hundreds of arrests, cracked down on gun smuggling and submitted dozens of indictments for violence and threats.
However, these actions have seemingly had little effect on the ground and gun violence remains a major threat. According to the Abraham Initiatives, of the 89 victims, 78 were shot to death.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has vowed to advance the government anti-violence plan that his predecessor had announced. However, some in the Arab community have refused to cooperate with the far-right firebrand who has called for deporting “disloyal” Arabs.
Attempts to bolster the police by involving the Shin Bet have also encountered opposition by the chiefs of the internal security organization, who reportedly prefer to keep its focus on counterterrorism and counterintelligence.
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Man gunned down in Qalansawe as deadly violence claims 89th Arab victim this year
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05.06.2023
Unidentified individuals shot dead a man in his 30s in Qalansawe, an Arab city near Kfar Saba in central Israel on Sunday evening.
Police believe the shooting was part of a dispute between criminals, the latest case of deadly violence between rival underworld groups erupting onto Israel’s streets.
The victim was identified by the Ynet news site as Ahmed Hizam Sharif, who was gunned down in his car.
Sharif is believed to be the 89th Arab killed violently this year, according to the Abraham Initiatives, which has tracked the slayings as they have multiplied in recent years.
According to the group, 71 members of the community were killed in suspected violent circumstances in 2018. That number had risen yearly until hitting........
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