2 killed in separate incidents amid unrelenting deadly crimewave in Arab community
Man stabbed to death in apparent family dispute in Shuafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem; another succumbs to wounds sustained in Shfaram shooting earlier in week
The unrelenting crimewave in the Arab community continued with a man stabbed to death in the Shuafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem on Saturday morning, hours after a man succumbed to wounds sustained in an unrelated shooting earlier in the week in the northern town of Shfaram.
The anti-violence Abraham Initiatives watchdog group said that since the beginning of the year, at least 140 members of the Arab community have been killed in violent circumstances — more than during the entirety of 2022.
During the same period last year, there were 66 deaths, the organization noted.
According to police, four injured people arrived at a checkpoint near Shuafat in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The unnamed man in his 20s was pronounced dead at the scene. The three others — one adult and two minors — were taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
Police said it was suspected that the man was killed and the others wounded during a fight between family members.
A man in his 20s — who was also injured in the incident — was arrested on suspicion of murder, police said.
Hours earlier, it was announced that Ayman Abu Alul, 43, had succumbed to wounds sustained in a shooting in Shfaram on Monday.
At the time, police said the shooting appeared to be linked to an ongoing criminal dispute. The Ynet news site said six people have been killed since the start of the year in connection with the feud, including Abu Alul’s nephew who was shot dead last month.
A wave of violent crime has engulfed the Arab community in Israel in recent years.
Many community leaders blame the crime wave on the police, who they say have failed to crack down on powerful criminal organizations and largely ignore the violence. They also point to decades of neglect and discrimination by government offices as the root cause of the problem.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who campaigned on promises to beef up public safety and whose ministry oversees the police, has largely stayed quiet on the soaring crimewave, despite his ministry overseeing the police.