One thousand of protesters gathered Sunday morning, January 11, outside the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem to protest how the police have handled crime in the Arab community under racist National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. The protest was organized by the Higher Follow-Up Committee; Hadash Knesset’s lawmakers as well leading Hadash and Communist Party of Israel members were present at the demonstration.
Protesters chant in Arabic: “Hey police, hey police, Arab blood isn’t cheap,” and call to “free Tarabin al-Sana,” an Arab Bedouin town in the Negev that was subject to a two week police raid up until this morning, in which one resident, Muhammad Hussein Tarabin, was shot dead by an officer at his front door. Yesterday evening, Hadash activists blocked the Misgav Junction at the Galilee and gathered in Nazareth demanding firmer police action against the crime wave.
Less than two weeks into the new year, killings are continuing at a high rate, with 16 Arab homicide victims. Israel closed out last year with a record number of 252 Arab citizens killed in violent crime-related incidents, marking its deadliest year in that community to date.
Hadash-Ta’al MKs Ahmad Tibi, Aida Touma-Sliman and Ayman Odeh during the Arab community protest against crime and violence, outside the Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem, January 11, 2026 (Photo: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
On Saturday night a 16-year-old boy was shot and killed in Nazareth, the second teenager murdered in the city within days amid a soaring crimewave within the Arab community. Azmi Gharib was the second teenager to be shot and killed in the city within days — on Monday, Adham Nasser and his 15-year-old son Nadim were killed while installing security cameras outside a house in the city. The assailants likely misidentified them.
On Sunday morning, Hadash Knesset member Ayman Odeh called for widespread civil disobedience within Arab communities in Israel, citing escalating violence and crime and the failure of state institutions to protect the community. Speaking last week an interview with public broadcaster Kan 11, Odeh said he had “zero trust” in the police and urged Arab citizens to rely on themselves in confronting what he described as systemic neglect. “If our children’s lives are not normal, then the life of the entire country should not be normal,” he said.
Odeh called for a comprehensive shutdown across Arab society lasting more than one day. He said this should include Arab doctors and workers across all sectors, and appealed to trade unions, local authorities and individuals to participate. He stressed that the demand for safety was legitimate, saying the Arab communities want to live without weapons. “Weapons are evil, whether they are directed against an Arab or a Jew,” he said, questioning whether such a demand could be considered excessive. In sharp criticism of the far-right government, Odeh accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister Ben Gvir of failing to address crime in Arab communities. He said Netanyahu, who has led successive governments since 2008, had done nothing to curb violence, adding that there was “no hope” for meaningful change under the current leadership.
Odeh said responsibility for tackling illegal weapons and organized crime lies with the state, rejecting the notion that communities should be expected to police themselves. He also criticized the excessive police force during recent incidents in the Tarabin area.
Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=33169
