Hadash MK Ayman Odeh has received threats from criminal organizations, his party said Saturday night, just a few days after the murders of two local political figures by gangs.
“Criminal organizations in the Arab community received a green light from the government to go on a rampage and murder, and now they feel comfortable threatening even members of Knesset who try to arrest them,” said the Hadash Party. “Only a state that does not respect itself is able to ignore a situation in which elected officials are threatened and even murdered by criminals.”
Hadash said it would stand by Odeh and would not surrender to the criminal organizations or the “racist” government.
Police said they were not providing security to Odeh, whose status was raised a few days ago to “level two” security – which doesn’t warrant close personal security.
On Monday evening Tira city manager Abed al-Rahman Kashu was murdered, and on Tuesday night local council presidential candidate Ghazi Saab was shot dead along with three other Druze men.
Protest against crime
Odeh wrote on Facebook on Friday that “the fight against crime must intensify more and more.”
Tira mayor Mamoun Abd al-Hay is set to be the keynote speaker at the protest, Odeh said, addressing about a hundred thousand people.
"The fight against crime must intensify more and more," said Odeh.
At the Tel Aviv protest against the government on Saturday, some carried coffins in a march of the dead, to protest what they said was government inaction against rising gang violence. Almost 160 people in the Arab sector have been killed so far in 2023.
Members of the Druze community were also present at the Tel Aviv protest, waving Druze flags.