Arab Israeli shot to death in northern town; another seriously hurt
Shooting victim identified as 32-year-old Iyad Dabdoub from Jadeidi-Makr; over 90 killed in Arab communal violence since start of the year
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
An Arab Israeli man was killed and another seriously wounded in a shooting in northern Israel on Monday evening, with violent crime in the country’s Arab community showing no sign of slowing.
Iyad Dabdoub, a 32-year-old from Jadeidi-Makr, was taken to Nahariya’s Galilee Medical Center in critical condition. The hospital declared Dabdoub’s death shortly after he was admitted.
The other man, in his 20s and also a resident of the northern Arab town, was listed in serious condition at the hospital.
Dabdoub was suspected of threatening members of the Jadeidi-Makr local council in recent months, according to the Kan public broadcaster.
Police suspect the killing was related to a conflict between criminals, the network added.
Police said they had begun investigating the incident and were searching for the perpetrators.
Violent crime has risen to record levels in Arab communities in recent years, with 78 Arab Israeli citizens killed in apparent homicides since 2021 began, before the Jadeidi-Makr shooting, according to a tally by the Abraham Initiatives nonprofit. Another 15 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli territory.
Last year, 96 Arab Israelis were killed in communal violence.
Authorities have vowed to devote more resources to battling crime in Arab locales, after a series of recent shootings triggered the online #Arab_Lives_Matter campaign to protest the alleged lack of police action.
Dozens gathered on Saturday to protests against the continuing violence, near the home of Public Security Minister Omer Barlev in Kochav Ya’ir.
According to a 2020 Knesset report, some 400,000 illegal weapons are circulating in Israel, the vast majority in Arab communities.
In July, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that violence and crime in Arab Israeli communities was a “national calamity,” as he met with senior government and police officials to formulate a national plan to tackle the issue.
