Man shot and killed in Umm al-Fahm

Background of incident not immediately clear

Israeli Arab city Umm al-Fahm. December 31, 2011. (Moshe Shai/Flash90)

A 25-year-old man was shot and killed Sunday evening in the Arab city of Umm al-Fahm in northern Israel.

The man was rushed to the Emek Medical Center in Afula with no vital signs and doctors were unable to revive him.

The motive for the shooting wasn’t immediately clear, and police have launched an investigation into the incident.

Umm al-Fahm, 20 kilometers (12 miles) northwest of Jenin and 40 kilometers (24 miles) south of Haifa, is one of the biggest Arab cities in Israel.

Illegal firearms seized by Israeli police in an operation entitled “Operation Law and Order,” seen on display at the Police Southern District. April 10, 2014. (Flash90)

Arab leaders have often complained that police isn’t doing enough to curb a high rate of gun crime in their communities, where weapons are often fired at weddings and celebrations, or to intimidate rivals.

“Since 2000, 1,100 Arab citizens have been killed in internal violence,” Joint (Arab) List MK Ahmad Tibi told The Times of Israel in 2016.

Often the perpetrators of such crimes in Arab cities are never caught.

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