Netanyahu appeals to Arab lawmakers for help fighting crime

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asks Arab parties to join the government in fighting crime.

Arab communities have been rocked in recent years by an epidemic of violent crime and dozens have been killed since the start of 2023.

“I want your help and your cooperation,” Netanyahu tells Arab party members at the Knesset. “This is not a ploy, and it’s coming from the bottom of my heart. We have to act on many fronts and I want your help.”

Arab party leader Ayman Odeh says on Twitter, “Netanyahu and the racism and supremacy of the establishment use the lie of Shabtai that we are a violent society.” Police chief Kobi Shabtai had said that it was Arabs’ “nature” to murder in a phone call leaked last month.

“The reality is that this violence is a result of policies over the past 20 years. The establishment is a partner in these murders,” he says.