Protests mount as crime wave in Arab cities claims 209th victim this year

The victim of a fatal shooting last night in Tamra, an Arab city in northern Israel, is named as Muhammad Wafiq Hejazi, 53.

“People are in shock, we still don’t know what the murder was about,” a resident of Tamra tells The Times of Israel, saying the slain victim had no known criminal history.

Hejazi is the 209th Arab citizen to fall victim to homicide since the start of the year, as a violent crime wave continues unabated in Arab cities and towns throughout Israel.

Yesterday, hundreds in Kafr Yasif, also in the north, took part in a protest demanding firmer police action against the crime wave. Residents of the town are mourning the recent death of Nidal Masadeh, a 35-year-old school security guard shot last week while at work.

Among those demonstrating yesterday evening were Ra’am party head Mansour Abbas, Hadash-Ta’al MK Aida Touma Suleiman and other prominent figures among Israel’s Arab minority. Protesters marched holding a banner in Arabic that read: “The police are neglecting to do their duty.”

Assailants broke into Hejazi’s home and opened fire on him and his wife, who was moderately injured in the shooting. Both were taken to Rambam Medical Center in Haifa. Two hours later, Hejazi succumbed to his wounds.

Police said last night that they had launched an investigation and are searching for suspects in the incident.

Many Arab mayors and other public figures have insisted that police are neglecting the worsening rate of crime in their communities, citing the skyrocketing murder rate and law enforcement’s failure to solve most homicide cases.

Others, like Rahat mayor Talal al-Kernawi, say police are attempting to deal with the issue but are ill-equipped, in terms of both technology and manpower, to tackle rampant arms trafficking and increasingly powerful gangs.