"Nothing can be done. They kill each other. That is their nature, the mentality of the Arabs"

‘They kill each other’: Police chief says it is Arabs’ ‘nature’ to murder

Israel Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai claimed it is part of the “nature” and “mentality” of Arabs to kill, in a phone call with National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

The comments were made during a conversation that the two men were having about the national guard that Ben Gvir is seeking to establish, in part to combat record-high crime rates in Arab communities.

“One murder after another. It has crossed every line. We need a strong national guard,” Ben Gvir said.

“Mr. Minister, there is nothing that can be done. They kill each other. That is their nature. That is the mentality of the Arabs,” Shabtai responded.

Shabtai lamented the trend in Arab society, whose members “refuse to reveal the identity of murderers, even when it is known to the relatives of the victims.”

Police at the scene of a shooting in the northern Arab city of Umm al-Fahm, April 2, 2023. (Israel Police).

He also stressed his commitment to fighting violence and crime in Arab towns.

Arab communities have seen a rising wave of violence in recent years, in part due to

powerful criminal organizations. The violence also includes family feuds, mafia turf wars and violence against women.

43 Arab Israelis have been killed in violent incidents since the start of the year.

From his first day in the role of chief, Kobi Shabtai set for Israel Police the goal of fighting crime on the Arab street as a top priority, with an unprecedented investment of resources, technology and manpower in a stubborn, determined and uncompromising fight against the crime organizations on the Arab street and the perpetrators of crime.

Violence in Arab society has been rampant in the last two decades mainly due to  organized crime gangs within Arab society.