Bennett: Fighting violent crime in Arab communities ‘is a national mission’

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett comments on the recent wave of deadly shootings in Arab Israeli communities, after five people were killed in the past four days.

“On behalf of the Government of Israel, I would like to convey condolences to the families. Since the beginning of the year, dozens of people have been murdered in the Arab sector. The violence in the Arab sector is a blight on the country that has been neglected for many years,” Bennett says at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting.

He adds: “Responsibility for fighting this is on our shoulders. This is a national mission.”

Bennett says he spoke in the morning with Public Security Minister Omer Barlev, with the two agreeing to draft a plan “as soon as possible” to address crime in Arab communities.

“We will do this in all dimensions: civil, economic and – of course – criminal. This is, first of all, the desire of the sector itself and it is – of course – an overall national interest,” he says.