A wave of widespread Palestinian protests has swept across cities and towns within the Green Line, fueled by growing outrage over escalating crime and violence. Demonstrators accuse Israeli police of inaction in the face of organized crime, which they say claims hundreds of lives annually within the Arab community in the 1948 territories.
Friday prayers were held in the municipality square of Sakhnin and in the village of Al-Araqib in the Negev, specifically to protest the unchecked spread of crime. Simultaneous demonstrations took place in several other locations, including Aablin and Tamra.
Protesters carried signs bearing slogans such as “Stop the War of Crime,” “Where is the Police? Is Negligence a Policy?” and “Our Blood is Not Cheap.” These messages reflect the deep frustration and sense of abandonment felt by many within the Palestinian community.
Sakhnin was the site of a massive demonstration on Thursday, drawing tens of thousands of Palestinian participants. This coincided with a comprehensive strike across Arab cities and towns within the Green Line, called for by the Higher Follow-Up Committee and the National Committee of Arab Local Authority Heads. Participants chanted slogans denouncing Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who they accuse of direct responsibility for the surge in crime and the perceived inaction of Israeli police. Others carried black flags as a symbol of their anger and mourning.
Activists described Thursday’s demonstration in Sakhnin as the largest seen in a Palestinian city within the Green Line in years. The collective voice of the people demands immediate action and accountability.
In a move reflecting the growing urgency, leaders of the four Arab political parties in Israel (National Democratic Assembly, Democratic Front for Peace and Equality, Arab Movement for Change, and the United Arab List) signed a document pledging to work towards reforming the “Joint List” and contest the upcoming elections with a unified platform. This decision, according to local media reports, follows mounting public pressure to unite in the face of escalating crime and deteriorating security within Arab towns.
The number of victims has reached unprecedented levels, intensifying the pressure on authorities to act. Earlier in the week, hundreds of Palestinians demonstrated in Jerusalem in front of the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, protesting what they described as the government’s failure to halt the wave of crime and killings. The protests underscore the deep-seated frustration and despair within the Palestinian community.
