Knesset Committee Clash Over Crime in the Negev

The State Control Committee discussed the presence of illegal weapons and armaments in the hands of criminal elements in the Negev. MK Simon Davidson said that “there is a great fear among the citizens,” while lawmakers clashed over cooperation in the Arab sector and the extent to which murder cases are being solved.

The State Control Committee convened today, Wednesday, for a discussion on the presence of illegal weapons and armaments held by criminal groups in the Negev region. The discussion was held at the request of MK Simon Davidson of Yesh Atid and at the initiative of the Regavim movement, following the special State Comptroller’s report published recently, which pointed to gaps in enforcement and deterrence.

During the discussion, committee members and representatives of law enforcement agencies addressed the chain of handling weapons and arms offenses in the Negev. Among other things, they discussed locating sources of weapons, seizures in the field, investigations, evidence collection, indictments and arrests.

Police representatives said during the discussion that there has been significant progress in the investigation files and that extensive efforts are being made in the field. By contrast, representatives of the State Attorney’s Office said that in cases where sufficient evidence exists, indictments are filed, and emphasized that there is a directive from the chief prosecutor to increase sentencing severity.

The initiator of the discussion, MK Simon Davidson, attacked the conduct of the system and said, “In the end, this leads to protection rackets throughout the State of Israel, there are weapons throughout the State of Israel, and there is great fear among the citizens.” In his words, the fact that 82% of extortion cases are closed indicates a failure of the entire system, and he compared it to a football team “that plays excellently in midfield but has no striker to score a goal.”

Later, a heated clash developed over the issue of case-solving and cooperation in the Arab sector. MK Samir Ben Said claimed that the police and the IDF turn a blind eye to crime in the sector, and said that in murder cases in communities such as Segev Shalom, “all the residents know who committed the act except the police.” MK Yasmin Friedman responded that one cannot ignore the lack of cooperation on the ground, and recalled cases in which “they washed away the blood with a hose and no evidence remained.” In response, MK Ben Said said, “There is no need for cooperation, the police have all the tools.”

Representatives of civil society groups also presented their position to the committee members. Yehuda Kapach, director of the southern region at Regavim, said that there must be a shift “from initiative to action” and that steps should be taken in advance to prevent offenses. He noted that יחד with the Rippman Institute, a bill had been placed before the committee that is intended to give administrative tools to police forces operating in the field.