The Media Line: ‘They Deserve Equality’: Herzog Addresses ‘National Challenge’ of Violence in Arab Communities 

‘They Deserve Equality’: Herzog Addresses ‘National Challenge’ of Violence in Arab Communities  

By The Media Line Staff  

Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Tuesday addressed violent crime in the Arab sector, describing the problem as a “national challenge” and blamed inequality.    

Speaking at a conference at the Givat Haviva center on Tuesday, Herzog referenced the killing of three Arab citizens last night and said, “The issue of crime, delinquency and the loss of personal security in Arab society in Israel is a national challenge in every sense.”   

He added, “The responsibility [for the issue] of the communities and Arab society itself of course has its place, but there is no replacement for the responsibility of the state.”    

Herzog stated the war between Hamas and Gaza also had a palpable effect and that the conflict was “especially fruitful for agents of hate, despair and chaos.”   

“Arab citizens of Israel are the flesh and blood of Israeli society,” he says. “They obviously deserve, by right and not by kindness, equality in the full sense of the word.”   

He identified the lack of equality as a factor in burgeoning violence and an “historic missed opportunity.”    

Violence linked to organized crime has continued to claim lives in Arab communities in Israel in recent days, with several fatal shootings reported within a short period. Police have described the incidents as part of ongoing gang-related feuds fueled by the widespread availability of illegal weapons.    

The killings have pushed the death toll from violent crime among Arab citizens sharply higher at the start of the year, following a record number of such murders last year, according to official figures cited by the Israel Police.