Shin Bet Set to Join Fight Against Violent Crime in Arab Sector with New Budget

The Israeli internal security service, Shin Bet, is poised to enter the battle against violent crime within the Arab community, marking a significant shift in the approach to tackling this issue. This move was approved in principle by Shin Bet chief David Zini, who requested a budget of one billion shekels to support the initiative.

Last week, a budget meeting took place involving the Government Secretary, officials from the National Security Council, and Shin Bet representatives, where they agreed in principle to allocate funds to the organization for this purpose. The final approval now awaits the Prime Minister's consent.

Government Secretary Yossi Fox informed all government ministries via internal email about the plan to reallocate funds from the five-year plan to finance crime-fighting programs targeting the Arab sector, to be implemented by both the police and Shin Bet. Senior sources involved in the discussions indicated that the exact budget amount for Shin Bet is still under negotiation.

While the law prohibits Shin Bet from directly handling general crime in the Arab sector, the agency will focus on combating arms trafficking and smuggling activities, areas previously outside its scope. This development represents the first time Shin Bet will be officially involved in addressing crime in the Arab community beyond its traditional security roles.