Negev Arab Mayors Call for Three-Month Truce to Combat Violence

The Forum of Heads of Local Authorities in the Negev has called for a three-month social truce to halt shootings, assaults, and escalations amid rising crime and violence in Arab towns, particularly Rahat. The appeal was made in a statement following a meeting attended by Arab lawmakers, reform elders, and community and religious leaders from Rahat and other Negev towns to discuss escalating violence, attacks on homes and property, and their impact on residents.

Participants emphasized that Rahat, as the largest Arab town in the Negev, is a central social, political, and cultural hub for the Arab community in the region. They stressed that maintaining its security and stability is a collective responsibility, and that violence there affects the entire Arab society. The statement urged a halt to all forms of shooting and assaults for three months, allowing reform leaders and notables to mediate existing disputes and reach settlements that preserve rights and civil peace.

Attendees also underscored the importance of respecting the sanctity of homes and public and private property, rejecting arson and attacks, and affirmed that personal or family disputes do not justify endangering citizens' lives or burdening them with unrelated conflicts. The forum demanded that the Israeli Police fulfill its responsibility to protect citizens and their property, enforce the law, prevent shootings, apprehend perpetrators, and take immediate action to restore security to Arab towns.

In this context, Rahat Mayor Talal Al-Qaranaoui warned of the consequences of continued shooting on essential services. He noted that the electric company has informed the municipality that it will stop sending crews to repair faults and replace damaged transformers due to the risks to workers' safety amid ongoing gunfire. Al-Qaranaoui cautioned that this situation could disrupt repairs and compromise services to residents.

The participants also called for strengthening community relations and establishing a social covenant to regulate relationships among community members, promoting respect, solidarity, and collective responsibility. They urged mosques, schools, and educational institutions to play a greater role in confronting violence and rejecting assaults. They called on imams in Rahat and Negev towns to dedicate the upcoming Friday sermon to the sanctity of life and rejecting violence, and urged educational institutions to intensify efforts to instill values of tolerance, respect, and community responsibility.

In their concluding statement, the attendees appealed to all parties to heed the call for a truce, exercise restraint, and resort to reform efforts to protect lives, property, and the social fabric of the Negev.