We have said so before already.
For as long as Israeli arabs remain here, it’s forbidden to harm them, besides being counterproductive. But the state, by criminalizing the private supply of genuine security services, and at the same time, doing a horrible job of providing Arabs with security, themselves, are exposing regular Arabs to crime. Neither “Right” nor Left desire to improve things (for fear of false appearances of persecution), the same way they don’t make them pay all taxes (and their own sectorial parties do nothing about it either).
From 972 Mag:
The Arab public wants better policing — and Israeli police don’t care
Israel’s state comptroller released recommendations for improving policing in Arab communities. But none of them seem to address the real problem: police indifference.
By Nisreen Salameh Shahbari
Palestinians citizens of Israel participate in a vigil in the town of Ramle marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, on November 25, 2015. (Yotam Ronen)
On a cold February morning this year, my four-year-old son’s daycare was broken into. Sights of happy children singing and drawing were replaced with photos of horrific destruction and looting. This was the third break-in at Daburiyya, an Arab village east of Nazareth, that month. Previous incidents included an armed robbery in broad daylight, during which a person was shot and severely injured.
In a radio segment discussing the incident, police claimed they are handling all criminal activity in the village without delay, and that in cases where the investigation is paused or unsolved, it is because residents are refusing to cooperate. This is a known accusation that is too often regurgitated, a “golden ticket” used by police to explain their incompetence in enforcing the law in Arab communities. When pieced together, the daily acts of violence, from murder to vandalism, reflect a sad reality for 20 percent of the country’s population.
Two years ago, in an attempt to improve the sense of personal safety among Arab citizens, the government established a community policing center in my village. As many Arabs, I, too, hoped that building police stations near crime hotspots will lead to results. But when the police were slow to respond to the above-mentioned crimes, our hope dissipated.
Last week, at the height of the Arab community’s struggle against the Jewish Nation-State Law, the state comptroller released an evaluation of how police manage illegal firearms and shootings in Arab communities. For us, Arabs, the acute flaws in police conduct which were pointed out in the report were far from new. The report’s main contribution was the detailed data outlining Arab citizens’ deep lack of trust in law enforcement, and the sense of abandonment they have grown accustomed to.
Trump proved you can garner a large number of votes by saying you will “solve” a sore issue other distant politicians claim does not exist. This electoral opportunity is foolish to ignore.