Israeli Security Agency to Combat Crime in Arab Sector with New Budget

Israeli Government Secretary Yossi Fox announced on Friday that the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) will take on the task of addressing crime within the Arab community. The initiative is budgeted at approximately 1.3 billion shekels, allocated from the five-year plan for Arab local authorities. Fox instructed the directors-general of all government ministries not to use these funds for other purposes.

A dedicated Shin Bet unit will be established specifically to fight rampant crime in the Arab sector. This decision followed the appointment of David Zini as Shin Bet chief, replacing Ronen Bar, who opposed Shin Bet's involvement in this issue. According to officials, Shin Bet possesses more invasive tools than the police, including surveillance devices, wiretapping, and more aggressive investigative methods.

The rationale behind Shin Bet's involvement differs from that of the police, focusing on preventing incidents before they occur. Shin Bet also notes significant overlaps between criminal and nationalist crimes, with large quantities of weapons flowing into criminal networks. The agency is currently in the planning stages and has not yet finalized the structure or operational details of the new department or how the allocated budget will be utilized.