National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has decided to relocate the police’s Northern District headquarters from Nazareth, Israel’s largest Arab city, to the nearby Jewish city of Nof HaGalil.
The move comes amid a surging violent crime wave among Israel’s Arab minority, which last year claimed a record number of lives and has continued apace in the first half of 2026.
Last year, Nazareth alone saw 22 residents killed, out of a total of 252 Arab homicide victims.
This year to date, 127 members of the Arab community have lost their lives in violent incidents.
Ben Gvir calls the relocation a “Zionist, values-based and strategic move” meant to “strengthen governance, increase personal security and provide meaningful momentum to the city [of Nof HaGalil] and the entire Galilee.”
Meanwhile, Nazareth residents voice displeasure with the step.
“It’s a tasteless move,” one Nazareth resident tells the Hebrew Ynet outlet. “Crime has devastated Nazareth, where the number of murder victims is currently very high, not to mention the extortion and businesses that have shut due to threats against their owners.”
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From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
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