‘A Protection State’: MKs Warn of a Systemic Failure in the Negev

Attorney Ronen Haliwa on the match-fixing affair / Walla News, Shlomo Weiss

The National Security Committee, headed by Knesset Member Alon Schuster, held a discussion today (Wednesday) on the fight against illegal weapons in the Negev, against the backdrop of enforcement failures, indictments and sentencing in the field. The discussion was held at the request of Knesset members and followed the State Comptroller’s report on aspects of governance in the Negev.

During the discussion, data were presented showing that 75% of contractors affected by extortion do not file complaints, and that 82% of the cases opened in the field are closed. It was also noted that arrests for weapons offenses in the Southern District rose by 88%, as did almost a doubling in the number of weapons seized in recent years.

Committee chairman MK Schuster said this was a systemic failure: “There is no coordinating government body. We are dealing with criminals against law-abiding citizens, and criminal terror is harming public trust in the state.” According to him, “The current handling remains, in many cases, piecemeal, without sufficient systemic vision.”

“Criminal terror is harming public trust in the state.” Schuster / Israel Police Spokesperson

MK Simon Davidson described the reality on the ground: “If you are a contractor, you already know in your cash flow that you pay protection money because you have no choice, this is a helplessness that brings citizens to a situation where they feel they have no choice but to pay.”

A representative of the State Comptroller warned during the discussion that the scope of the phenomenon is broad: “75% of contractors do not file a complaint at all, and even when a complaint is filed, 82% of the cases are closed, these are figures that illustrate the depth of the problem.”

Law enforcement and prosecution officials who took part in the discussion noted an increase in police activity and weapons seizures, but also major difficulties in gathering evidence and in cooperation from witnesses and victims.

In closing the discussion, the committee chairman called on the Prime Minister’s Office to get involved and coordinate the fight against the phenomenon, and on the police and the prosecution to present data and proposals to improve enforcement and sentencing in the field.