Arab man shot dead in north in apparent underworld dispute

A man was fatally shot Friday in the northern town of Nahf, the latest apparent homicide in the Arab community amid government efforts to crack down on violent crime.

The shooting victim was found with gunshot wounds in his car. He was pronounced dead at the scene by Magen David Adom medics.

He was identified as Bassem Lutfi Sarhan, 38, a resident of Nahf.

A law enforcement official said the shooting was apparently related to a criminal underworld dispute.

Officers were at the scene collecting evidence and investigating the circumstances of the shooting, police said.

According to the Abraham Initiative nonprofit, the shooting in Nahf was the 118th homicide in the Arab community this year, by far an all-time record. Of those killed, 99 were Arab citizens of Israel and 19 were Palestinians, either from East Jerusalem or with Israeli residency.

Arab communities have seen a surge in violence in recent years, driven mainly, but not exclusively, by organized crime.

Arab Israelis blame police, who they say have failed to crack down on powerful criminal organizations and largely ignore the violence, which includes family feuds, mafia turf wars and violence against women. The community has also suffered from decades of neglect.

In August, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that violence and crime in Arab Israeli communities was a “national calamity.”