Panelists Criticize Government Over Rising Crime, Police Performance

A panel discussion at the "Decisive Moment: Democracy and Society" conference, organized by ynet and Yediot Ahronot in collaboration with the Israel Democracy Institute, addressed the escalating crime crisis and the perceived lack of government response. Participants sharply criticized the government's perceived indifference and the performance of the police and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Data presented revealed a grim picture, with 200 murder victims across Israel since the start of the year, 170 of whom were from the Arab community. Tomer Lotan, a senior fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute and former Director-General of the Ministry of Public Security, described the situation as the most severe personal security crisis since the state's founding, noting that the number of victims has nearly doubled in the last three years. He attributed this to "failed public policy and politics that do not care about this issue at all," despite consistent resources allocated to law enforcement.

Lawyer Rawia Hnkelo, CEO of Ilanaf, the Center for the Advancement of Security in the Arab Society, focused on the Arab community, highlighting a "crisis of trust" and stating that murder victims are just the "tip of the iceberg." She described criminal organizations taking over and dictating norms, leading to daily injuries and lives lived under threat, with "almost zero trust" in the police and state institutions. Hnkelo also contested Lotan's assertion of "the same criminal organizations," arguing they are now more numerous and sophisticated, with less than 15% of cases solved.

Former head of the Israel Police's investigative division, Adv. Eran Kamin, criticized the police under Ben-Gvir's tenure, calling it "less professional" and suffering from significant departures, particularly among its core personnel. He blamed a decline in professional capabilities on a "process of appointment and sycophancy" becoming commonplace, leading to a less competent force. Kamin dismissed arguments that the justice system is at fault, urging the police to focus on its own shortcomings.

Dr. Yael Litmanovitz, head of the Policing and Internal Security Program at the Israel Democracy Institute, cautioned against framing crime as a nationalistic or terror-related issue, arguing this dilutes the concept of professional policing and weakens the police by relying on the Shin Bet. She stated that the minister's approach, demanding the police "carry out my policy," is incompatible with a democratic police force, which must be professional to effectively combat crime.