Ben Gvir takes part in raid on organized crime family, police ‘at war’ after deadly Ramle blast

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir says he participated in a police raid overnight targeting the Jarushi crime family, after a deadly car explosion in Ramle yesterday.

Ben Gvir says the police are “going to war” after years of turning a blind eye to organized crime in the Arab community.

Arrests were made at sites owned by the crime family and throughout Lod, Ben Gvir writes on X.

Four people were killed and nine others wounded in the blast yesterday afternoon. According to the Kan public broadcaster, the explosion is thought by police to be tied to an ongoing dispute between the Jarushi and Abu Zaid crime families, and that the car and the stores were connected to the Jarushis.

Many Arab Israeli community leaders say police have failed to crack down on powerful criminal organizations and largely ignored the violence, which includes family feuds, mafia turf wars and violence against women.

Ben Gvir entered office as security minister in late 2022 vowing to crack down on Arab community crime, but homicides have continued unabated, with 109 members of the Arab community killed in violent crimes in the first half of 2024, according to the Abraham Initiatives nonprofit.

אחרי עשרות שנות העלמת עין והשתלטות של ארגוני הפשיעה על המגזר הערבי, משטרת ישראל יוצאת למלחמה! השתתפתי במהלך כל הלילה בהערכות מצב במחוז מרכז, ולפנות בוקר יצאתי יחד כוחות גדולים של משטרת ישראל, כולל יחידות טקטיות ולוחמי ימ"ס לפשיטה נרחבת וביצוע מעצרים במתחמי משפחות הפשע בג׳ואריש… pic.twitter.com/Z8HAyG4eyZ

— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) September 13, 2024