From the Liveblog of
Sunday, October 3, 2021
Joint List deplores ‘militaristic’ move to use IDF in battle against Arab crime
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Arab Israeli politicians from the opposition Joint List party criticize a decision by the government to involve the Shin Bet and the IDF in the fight against rising organized crime in Arab communities.
“Fight criminals, not democracy. The sole responsibility for law enforcement among civilians is the police, not intelligence agencies and the military. After decades of government and police treating [Arab locales] as their backyard, the last thing we need is more of the same attitude: police for Jews and Shin Bet for Arabs,” Joint List chief Ayman Odeh says in a tweet.
His colleague Sami Abou Shehadah from the hardline nationalist Balad faction agrees.
“The militaristic mindset that leads the government to involve the army and the Shin Bet to deal with the organized crime in Arab society proves what we’ve always said: the State of Israel deals with Arab citizens as a security threat, not as civilians,” Abou Shehadeh says.
The Times of Israel Community.