The murderous rampage in one of Israel’s major cities March 22 not only left four Israelis dead in just eight minutes, but also delivered a devastating blow to the ruling coalition. It was the worst terrorist attack in Israel in years, made even worse by the perpetrator being an Israeli citizen, a Bedouin from the village of Hura. He was reportedly also a supporter of the Islamic State who had spent time in Israeli prison for security offenses.
The incident happened while an Arab party is part of the governing coalition for the first time in Israel’s history. Members of Ra'am hold important positions in Knesset committees and the party has obtained unprecedented funding on behalf of the Arab sector.