Five Israeli Arabs were shot dead Thursday (June 8th) at a car wash in northern Israel, police said in a statement, adding that a search was underway to apprehend the perpetrators. The Incident “criminal” took place in Yafia, an Arab town west of Nazareth.
Police spokesman Eli Levy told the Kan public broadcaster that“one or more persons” opened fire on a group of men present at the scene. He did not provide further details due to the ongoing investigation.
A “massacre”, according to the head of the local Council
This drama is the latest episode in the crime wave that is hitting Israeli Arabs: the shooting brings to 96 the number of people of this minority killed since the beginning of the year. A police official said the incident was most likely part of a gang war.
Maher Khaliliya, head of the Yafia local council, for his part described the shooting as “massacre”, by attributing responsibility to the police accused of laxity. The city is “in solidarity with the families of the victims”he told AFP, stressing that he had no information on the motives for the shooting.
Experts say Arab gangs have accumulated large amounts of weapons over the past two decades and are involved in activities such as drug, arms and human trafficking, prostitution, extortion and money laundering.
Israeli Arabs, descendants of Palestinians who remained on their lands when Israel was created in 1948, represent around 20% of the country’s population. They say they are victims of discrimination compared to the Jewish majority and believe that the police and the authorities are lax in protecting them and investigating the violence.