Arab local officials are under threat, criminologist warns as violence skyrockets

The unrelenting violent crime wave battering Arab Israeli society is seeping into the political sphere two months ahead of countrywide local elections, putting municipal officials under threat, an expert warned, as a municipal leader and mayor candidate were killed this week.

Abdul Rahman Kashua, director general of the Arab municipality of Tira in central Israel, was shot dead on Monday evening in unclear circumstances. On Tuesday, four people were killed in a mass shooting in the northern town of Abu Snan, including a candidate for mayor.

The killings contributed to a record year for violent crime. According to the Abraham Initiatives anti-violence advocacy group, 156 members of Israel’s Arab community have been killed since the start of the year, mostly in shootings. Over the equivalent period last year, 68 were killed. READ MORE