Violence, Indifference, and Convenient Blame
Ahmad Tibi, a prominent Palestinian parliamentarian, recently voiced a familiar grievance: Netanyahu's government, he argues, treats Arab citizens as "enemies," leaving them vulnerable to rising crime. The Al-Monitor interview details how Israeli police have seemingly thrown up their hands, offering boilerplate excuses about "family feuds" and "internal conflicts" for the 100+ murders in Arab
towns this past year alone. Apparently, the authorities see little reason to intervene when marginalized communities police themselves. This isn't a new phenomenon, but rather a chilling echo of policies dating back to the 1948 Nakba, which saw hundreds of thousands of Palestinians dispossessed. The systemic under-policing of Arab communities while simultaneously over-policing their political
activities serves a dual purpose. On one hand, it fosters instability. On the other, it justifies increased state control and demonizes the population. One might wonder who ultimately benefits from chaos in these towns, especially when certain sectors of the Israeli arms industry profit handsomely from the internal security apparatus, receiving billions in government contracts annually. The
current government, heavily influenced by far-right figures like Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has a history of anti-Arab incitement, certainly gains from perpetuating a narrative of internal Arab criminality. This deflects attention from the systemic discrimination that fuels economic disparity and social fragmentation within these communities. Why dedicate resources to address root causes when you can