Knesset to vote on committee to examine illegal weapons in Arab sector

The Knesset is scheduled to vote on a proposal by MK Esawi Frej on Wednesday to establish a parliamentary commission of inquiry to examine the failure of dealing with illegal weapons in Arab society.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “belatedly addressed the issue of illegal weapons in the Arab sector, but it is something the Arab sector has been complaining about for years,” Frej (Meretz) said on Monday.Netanyahu said on Saturday evening that he is unwilling to have a state within a state in Israel, in which some citizens live in “enclaves with no law enforcement, with Islamist incitement and an abundance of illegal weapons that are often fired at happy events, weddings and during endless criminal incidents.”“That time is over,” he declared.Netanyahu has been ruling the country for seven years, said the Arab MK, “during which time the problem grew worse and worse.”“Over 1000 people have been killed in the Arab sector over the last 15 years and there is a shockingly low conviction rate,” he continued.Illegal weapons and their use are “eating the Arab society from within.” Violence and fear have become a routine part of daily life, he added.Most of the Israeli public is unaware that significant parts of Arab communities in Israel have become “a battlefield,” Frej said.The media has shown little interest in the issue, according to the Meretz MK, adding that even the police are not doing anything to change the reality.Furthermore, he argued, the Israeli public does not care as long as the violence stays in Arab villages and does not reach them.

Lahav Harkov contributed to this report.