Riots break out at 2 prisons, allegedly over Arab crime bosses’ isolation
Prison Service cracks down on perpetrators at Rimonim and Eshel prisons; National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir saying he’s examining further sanctions
Riots broke out at two prisons Sunday, allegedly over authorities’ refusal to accommodate requests made by crime boss Qutaiyer Odeh, who is serving 18 years in one of the two facilities.
In an unusual move, Israel Prison Service intervention teams broke into the wards where Odeh’s men had staged the rioting, Hebrew media reported, sequestering suspected rioters and quelling the uprisings at the Rimonim and Eshel prisons, situated near Netanya and in Beersheba, respectively.
At least three prisoners and several guards were reportedly injured in the riots due to inhalation of smoke and tear gas.
The trigger for the riots, according to the Maariv daily, was the refusal Sunday of a request by Odeh to be released from restrictive incarceration at the Ohalei Keidar jail, a maximum-security facility situated next to Eshel, both of which are part of the four penitentiaries that comprise the Beersheba Prison.
Odeh, a crime boss from Jaljulia near Kfar Saba, was sentenced to 18 years in prison in July 2022 for attempted murders and threats. He was placed in isolation from other inmates for fear he would continue to run his crime syndicate from behind bars, Channel 12 news reported. When a judge rejected his appeal for relief from isolation, men loyal to him staged a riot, the reports said.
Members of the crime syndicate of Nasser Hariri, another gangster who in February was sentenced to 18 months for extortion, also joined the riots. Hariri, who is also isolated from the general population at Rimonim prison, is reportedly an ally of Odeh.
Public Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir issued a statement backing the crackdown.
“I extend my support and backing to the Israel Prison Service for the resolute work being done regarding the Odeh crime family,” Ben Gvir wrote. “I have instructed the Prison Service commanders to continue with this work and to not accommodate demands by prisoners. I’m examining further sanctions against prisoners from crime families. I expect to see unequivocal punitive action that will send a clear message to Qutaiyer: Your days of enjoying luxury and intimidating the penal system are over.”
Ben Gvir’s office added that the Israel Prison Service was isolating multiple inmates accused of rioting, and that they were to appear before disciplinary prison tribunals that will examine the possibility of extending their terms.
The riots coincided with a violent turf war between crime syndicates in Arab cities and neighborhoods and other violent disputes, which have claimed 150 Arab lives in 2023 alone, more than double 2022’s number to this point in the year.
The Times of Israel Community.