Southern Israel Businesses Pay Security Firms Millions, Receive No Guards Amid Protection Racket
A large public company in southern Israel is paying hundreds of thousands of shekels to a security firm for protection against "protection rackets" but claims the guards never show up. "We are paying hundreds of thousands of shekels for security, without guards," a company executive told Walla. The company hired the security firm to deter criminals, reportedly from the Bedouin sector, who were demanding "protection money" at the company's site. Despite the substantial payments, the executive stated that "if you walk around the facilities, there are no guards at all." Curiously, the company has not experienced significant theft despite the lack of security.
Meanwhile, the Israel Police's Negev District has been actively working to combat the growing protection racket phenomenon in the South. Several alleged criminals from the Bedouin sector have been arrested on suspicion of extorting businesses. However, reports from the ground suggest that many construction contractors in the region continue to pay protection money to criminal elements.
In a separate but related case, the State Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment in July against two 18-year-olds, Muhammad Abu Jafar from Beersheba and Anas Abu Assa from Tel Sheva, for extorting a kiosk owner in Beersheba. According to the indictment, Abu Jafar demanded weekly payments and threatened to burn down the kiosk if the owner did not comply. The kiosk owner allegedly paid approximately 4,000 shekels in protection money over four occasions and also allowed Abu Jafar to take goods without payment due to fear.
The article also references a broader extortion case involving construction contractors, where engineering tools and temporary structures were set ablaze as part of disputes between criminals over collecting protection fees at construction sites in Tamra, Kfar Yehezkel, and Kibbutz Gazit.
