Arab Israeli Crime Wave Worries Israel’s Minister of Justice

The Arab Israeli minority, which makes up 20% of Israel’s population, has been dealing with a violent crime wave driven by criminal gangs with family disputes. The murder rates in the Arab Israeli community far exceeds its share of the population. Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar told The Jerusalem Post, “the phenomenon of organized crime endangers Israel more than external threats.”

I think Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s statement is misleading. Israel’s external threats and internal problems cannot be compared to each other.

It’s true that the Arab Israeli crime wave can do harm to a country from the inside, but policymakers can help find a solution for that. At the same time, Arab Israeli criminals aren’t storing arsenals of missiles to launch at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem like Hamas and Hezbollah. At the end of the day, it’s comparing apples and oranges.

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