Arab Mayors in Negev Call for Three-Month Truce Amid Rising Violence
Translated & summarized from Arab48 by baba
The Forum of Heads of Arab Local Authorities in the Negev has called for a three-month social truce and an end to all forms of shooting and escalating violence, particularly in Rahat. The appeal follows a meeting of community leaders who discussed the rising crime and its impact on residents and infrastructure. They urged police to act and warned that ongoing violence could disrupt essential services like electricity. The leaders also called for community reconciliation and the role of religious and educational institutions in combating violence.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Arab local authority heads in the Negev called for a three-month truce to stop escalating violence and shooting.
- The appeal addresses rising crime, property damage, and attacks on homes, especially in Rahat.
- Leaders urged police to protect citizens and property and to apprehend those involved in violence.
- Rahat's mayor warned that ongoing shooting could halt essential services, including electricity repairs.
- The forum emphasized the role of mosques and schools in promoting tolerance and combating violence.
- Participants called for mediation and reform efforts to resolve disputes and preserve civil peace.
The Forum of Heads of Arab Local Authorities in the Negev has called for a three-month social truce and an end to all forms of shooting and escalating violence. This appeal comes in response to a significant increase in crime, property damage, and attacks on homes within Arab towns in the Negev, with the city of Rahat being particularly affected.
The call was made in a recent statement following a meeting attended by Arab lawmakers, reform elders, and religious and community leaders from Rahat and other Negev Arab towns. The participants discussed the dangerous developments and the repercussions of escalating violence in the region.
Rahat was recognized as the central capital of the Arab community in the Negev, and its security and stability were deemed a collective responsibility. The statement emphasized that the consequences of violence extend beyond Rahat to the entire Arab community. It stressed that Rahat belongs to all its residents and urged prioritizing the public interest and preserving the social fabric.
The meeting proposed a three-month truce to halt all shooting and escalations, allowing reform leaders and elders to mediate existing disputes and find solutions that uphold rights and civil peace. Participants also insisted on respecting homes and public and private property, condemning attacks and arson, and stating that disputes do not justify endangering innocent lives.
The statement demanded that the police fulfill their responsibility to protect citizens and property, enforce the law, prevent shootings, apprehend perpetrators, and take immediate action to restore security. Rahat Mayor Talal Al-Qarinawi warned that ongoing violence and shooting could disrupt essential services, noting that the electricity company had informed the municipality that its crews would cease entering the city to repair damage due to the risks posed by ongoing gunfire.
The attendees also called for strengthening community relations and establishing a social covenant to regulate inter-community relations, emphasizing respect, solidarity, and individual and collective responsibility. They highlighted the role of mosques and educational institutions in combating violence, urging imams to dedicate Friday sermons to the sanctity of life and renouncing violence, and school administrators to promote tolerance and responsibility.
Finally, the participants appealed for self-restraint, reason, and adherence to the truce to allow reform efforts to succeed in protecting lives, property, and the social fabric.