Crime in the arab sector

Crime has different shapes and shows its ugly face in different ways. The differences is what sets Israel apart and Amir Ohana is spearheading that divide.

Despite a global pandemic, three elections, a huge explosion in Lebanon and an indication of direct peace with the UAE – one thing is rampant, crime.

Crime is what is defined as unlawful acts by the law. The main institutions for dealing with direct crime are all forms of law enforcement. In the second line stands social services, schools, architecture and perhaps the most important thing of all – achieving your real life goals. Getting a job, roof over your head and establishing whatever family constellation you like – are main factors for not falling into crime or recidivism. Lack of money, a supply of drugs and present gangs or affiliations usually does the trick of committing crimes or recidivism in such.

That’s the basics. The visual crime. The crime we see, worry about and what makes the headlines. Violence, drugs and the pursue of money or goods. That’s what makes us feel unsafe, leave aside terror this turn which is a crime of which has a huge impact on our daily lives, our political standings and personal opinions.

The visual crime is what terrorizes the arab sector in Israel. Yesterday, today and tomorrow. This is what hurts the sector, what makes it unsafe and what keeps other Israelis out of there.

Then roughly divided comes white collar crime together with the less visible crimes such as domestic violence, abuse and sexual violence across the range – rape. That’s how I define sexual violence. No matter what happened, it’s rape. But let’s not get stuck here.

The arab sector not only takes the impact of visible crime, but at the same time takes the hit for less visible and invisible crime. All sectors in Israel do. But there is a difference, a difference that will keep growing as long as we don’t face it and battle it together.

The minorities of Israel – usually defined as the arabs, the druze, the christians, the bedouins, the sudanese and ethiopian jews are the ones most vulnerable and resceptible of either being affected by crime or commit crime. Why?

These sectors lacks trust in the institutions designed to protect them. And that is even if they are present whatsoever. Now this doesn’t all boil down to institutional racism, the history of Israel or all the wars Israel’s been through. I don’t even blame Bibi for it, not entirely.

Israel, as special as you might think it would be – is just another country with a huge migrant influx happening over time. At the same time the minorities has a high rate of birth and are massively overcrowded with nowhere to move.

This in turn creates what populists call “no-go zones”. The correct term is neglected areas. Lack of infrastructure, police presence, social services and a system designed for regular jews leaves those areas neglected. As one police officer once told me at a conference “It’s complicated. I don’t want to risk my life getting into something when the community isn’t even talking to me, sometimes chasing us out. There is no point!”. And yes, he is correct – when Israel as a whole don’t handle the crime that concerns all of Israel – it will continue to be a hotbed for crime.

And don’t think for a second there is less crime in more well-off areas. There are. But those crimes are invisible. More low-key. Until Bibi himself is facing corruption charges and his servant Amir Ohana is doing everything, including Corona – to keep dividing us. On the streets of Tel Aviv. On the alleys in Nazareth. In the run-down areas of Be’er Sheba. When killing an autistic guy with seven bullets. That long-time running investment scam call-centers.

The list never ends.