On September 21st Arab-Israeli leaders, in a demonstration in Jerusalem, demanded that Israeli society stop neglecting the issue of crime in Arab municipalities. Calling the growing "culture of crime" an epidemic, they called for confiscation of illegal weapons and punishments which will actually deter potential offenders. 60% of all reported crime in Israel takes place in the Arab sector, even though Arabs comprise only about 21% of the population.

The demsontrators included politcal and civic leaders who are often considered hostile to the State, including MK Masoud Ganaeim (Ra’am-Ta’al) and Muhammad Zeidan, head of the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel.

Some of the demonstrators warned that although weapons are currently being aimed predominantly at fellow Arabs, in the future they may also be directed against Jews.

Read the article in the Times of Israel.

Vayigash commentary: The State of Israel, by failing to provide basic law enforcement in Arab villages, is directly responsible for this increase in immoral and unjust behavior. This is outrageous and must be changed in the near future.