The national security Committee, chaired by MK Tzvika Foghel (Otzma Yehudit), continued on Wednesday its discussions on murders and illegal weapons in the Arab sector. The committee asked the relevant elements to present the strategies and actions being taken to combat crime. According to data presented to the committee by the Knesset Research and Information Center, it appears that in recent years there has been a steady increase in the number of people hospitalized due to gun violence, with the majority of those hospitalized and deceased in hospitals due to gun violence being Arabs: approximately 92% over all years, with a particularly noticeable increase of about 31% between 2022 and 2023.
committee chair MK Foghel said, “This is not a political debate. I checked what previous governments did, and each one put this issue on the agenda and set up interest groups to address it. But when we look at the numbers, we see that we are not achieving the desired results. Something must change. The ease with which murders are carried out is impossible. I will not give up as long as I serve as chairman of the committee.”
MK Yoav Segalovitz (Yesh Atid) said, “This is political, and the data was different in 2022. Everything that was done then is not being done today. Today we have an unqualified, convicted minister who is not interested in Arab crime. And there is a prime minister who is not interested. Therefore, the government must be replaced.” committee chair MK Foghel responded: “We will not buy peace and quiet with money.”
MK Naor Shiri (Yesh Atid) said, “In the end, there is a total failure of the government and of this committee in overseeing the government. The Police Commissioner gave a report and said that the crime situation is excellent, and he has been in office for a year now, but since then, there has been a 130% increase in crime. How much can one blame others?”
MK Aida Touma Sliman (Hadash-Ta’al) said, “Our situation is like this because we are not citizens of the state, but rather an Arab population that feels there is someone who is happy about the crime spree there. There is total insecurity that is tearing apart the social fabric, and there are entire families that have moved abroad. I refuse to accept that the police cannot handle this.”
Brig.-Gen. Moti Schiff, deputy head of the Israel Police’s Investigations and Intelligence Division, argued that an injustice was being done to the police, and that it has not avoided responsibility for checking the data. “In the end, all we are talking about is the number of murders, and they are difficult and painful. But in terms of enforcement actions, the data show an increase.” According to him, as of 18 August 2025, there has been a 29% increase in the filing of indictments for arms offenses (1,587 compared to 1,200 the previous year); a 48% increase in indictments for shooting incidents, with 31% of these cases going to trial; a 12% increase in indictments for severe violent offenses; and a 47% increase in indictments for extortion, with 28% of the cases going to trial. There has also been a 29% increase in indictments for robbery, with 8% of cases going to trial; and a 12% increase in indictments for arson offenses.
“In the end, it seems like there are only police officers on the streets—there is no education system, no local authorities, no welfare system, no army, and no other factors. Only from us do they demand answers while ignoring our successes. A holistic view of all the factors is necessary to fight crime in the Arab sector. The Police Commissioner focuses on stations in the Arab sector, and today all the police speak about the Arab sector. The police officers, staffing, volunteers, incentives; the whole issue of administrative enforcement, and economic approaches, the changes in the Contractors Registrar, the public tenders law – these are all initiatives of the police. We are doing a lot of community work and advancing programs with youth,” Brig.-Gen. Schiff said.
Another senior police official noted that in 2025, the police foiled 88 murder attempts. “There is a structured plan to cool down conflicts through task force commanders. We are in a state of war, and a lot of weapons are spilling into the criminal world. This is not solely the responsibility of the Israel Police. There are focused programs to fight criminal organizations, and the National Guard has shifted its focus to this area,” he said.
Commander Adv. Gilad Bahat, legal adviser to the Investigations and Technologies Division, added that every piece of legislation requires an implementation period and has an effect on deterrence. “This is a very important tool that needs to be seen in action. We need to provide criminal and administrative tools similar to those given to a security organization dealing with terrorist organizations. We must move forward because it takes years before a request (filed by the police) passes into law. Therefore, legislation needs to be per concept, not per technology.”
Adv. Keren Dahari, senior director of the Criminal Law Division at the Ministry of Justice, said “The fight against crime and violence in Arab society is truly a systemic and holistic issue. It is a strategic challenge for the entire state and is at the top of the list of priorities of the Attorney General’s Office. It is true that technology is advancing faster than legislation, so we need to set the framework. There is a list of legislative proposals on the Knesset table that need to be advanced, such as those related to local authority tenders, security and protection as a response to extortion, and biometric cameras.”
Meitar Local Council head Shimon Peretz said, “Powers and tools must be granted to those handling the issue. As a local authority head, I see the intense activity of the police, and this must be enhanced.”
An attorney in the Prime Minister’s Office said, “The execution rate of Plan 549 is very high. We have begun working on the next plan, and we have invited all the partners. The Prime Minister said that it is time to declare criminal organizations as terrorist organizations, and we have scheduled a discussion on this. We hope there will be support and we can move forward. There are many ministries involved in this issue, and we need to strengthen the entire chain of enforcement, from the police to the Israel Prison Service.”
Committee Chair MK Foghel said, “We can indeed change the situation. The result is not just the number of murder victims, but how many indictments have been filed and how many weapons have been seized. The process of recognizing criminal organizations as terrorist organizations, along with declaring an emergency enforcement situation, will allow us to use additional technologies and tools in the fight against this crime. I suggest we put politics aside, because this concerns the lives of citizens of the State of Israel.”
