17-year-old Arab Israeli run over, stabbed to death in brawl

Cops arrest 2 fellow residents of Ahmad Issa’s hometown of Kafr Qasim over suspected involvement in killing

A 17-year-old from Kafr Qasim was killed late Saturday during a brawl in the central Arab Israeli town.

After being stabbed and run over, Ahmad Issa was brought in serious condition to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Another teenager was lightly injured in the melee.

Police opened an investigation into the suspected murder. Officers arrested two Kafr Qasim residents in their 20s for their suspected involvement in the killing. The Petah Tikva Magistrate’s Court later extended their remand by five days.

According to Channel 12 news, the killing is apparently linked to a conflict that arose between the sides during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan earlier this year.

Issa’s death came after 19-year-old Khaled Nakhash was shot dead early Saturday in the northern city of Nazareth, and capped a week of seven suspected murders of Arab Israelis.

אמש התרחשה קטטה בכפר קאסם במהלכה נדקר למוות אחמד עיסא בן 17 ומותו נקבע בבית החולים בילינסון בפ"ת. המשטרה פתחה בחקירה ולפנות בוקר עצרה שני חשודים בני 20 תושבי כפר קאסם כחשודים במעורבות במעשה. pic.twitter.com/YkJ1iZYKLu

— אור רביד | Or Ravid (@OrRavid) July 4, 2021

In total, 43 Arab citizens have been killed in Israel this year in violent crime, according to the Abraham Initiative, a group that campaigns against violence in Arab society. Of those killed, 27 were under the age of 30.

The issue of violent crime has been a central complaint within the Arab Israeli community for a number of years. The highest annual toll in recent memory was 96, in 2018.

Last week, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced at a weekly cabinet meeting that Israel would implement a national plan to tackle crime in the Arab community.

The Islamist Ra’am Party, which joined Bennett’s government coalition, ran on a platform of tackling violence in Israel’s Arab communities. When Ra’am signed a coalition agreement in early June, it noted that Bennett and his coalition partner, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, agreed to provide NIS 2.5 million ($770,000) for this purpose.