Palestinian citizens of Israel have complained about crime in their communities [Getty]
The murder of two Palestinian citizens of Israel has led to fear and anger about a lack of police action regarding a wave of homicides among Arab communities in the country.
Two men were shot dead on Friday in two separate incidents – Hashem Natur, 63, and Iham Nasser, 25 – in the Palestinian-majority cities of Qalansawe and Tira, with both taken to the same hospital.
The killings sparked anger among the families of the victims due to a lack of interest from the police in tackling the crime wave that has hit their communities. Murders in Israel disproportionately affect Palestinian citizens with only 15 percent of cases solved.
Natur’s son, Mohammad, was killed in Qalansawe in 2023, highlighting the devastating effect the murder spree is having in Israel.
A relative of Natur told the Walla news agency that after the killing of the father and son, he feared he was “next in line”.
“Who else is waiting? Who can we talk to? We have been left alone in this world,” he said according to The Times of Israel.
“But here, it’s enough that you know the wrong person, and you are in danger. Once, we were a complete family. Now we are a family in constant mourning. The police don’t do anything.”
Despite Israeli authorities claiming the murders in the Palestinian community are often gang-related, the man stressed that Natur and his son had no links to organised crime.
At least 48 Palestinian citizens of Israel have been killed so far this year, while over 200 were killed in 2023 and 2024.Â
Blame for the spike in killings has been put down to the police and Israeli political leaders.
In 2023, far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir nixed an initiative devoted to tackling crime among Palestinian communities with record-high murder rates in subsequent years.
Ben-Gvir has been accused of deliberately neglecting the wave of murders in Palestinian communities, such as the demotion of competent officers and appointment of police with little experience in the issue.
