Ben Gvir praises cop involved in shootout last night amid clash of Bedouin clans

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir praises a cop who fatally shot an armed man during a mass shootout in Ararat an-Naqab last night, which wrought havoc in the southern Bedouin town.

“I salute the heroic officer who acted with determination and professionalism,” tweets the far-right minister. “As befits a hero, I requested to review the officer’s promotion. Such an officer deserves to progress and serve as an example and inspiration to his subordinates.”

Meanwhile, the Department for Internal Police Investigations is examining the police shooting incident, according to a Ynet report.

Police say they arrived at the scene of a violent clash last night between rival local clans and “responded with gunfire,” killing Wahib Abdelqader Abu Arar after he reprtedly shot at officers.

“The suspect in the shooting was found at the scene, wounded, and an M16 and pistol were confiscated from his possession,” a law enforcement spokesperson says in a statement.

Israel Police chief Daniel Levy visited the town this morning, throwing his support behind the police officers who he says, “acted decisively” last night. “This is how police officers are expected to act,” he says.

According to local Arab media, assailants set fire to several houses and a school after the initial shooting incident.

Hours later at around midnight, another man, 27-year-old Imad Suleiman Abu Arar, was also shot dead by an unknown culprit while trying to extinguish flames that had engulfed one of the nearby houses.