Violence tore through Arab Israeli communities during the first weekend of September, when four people were murdered within 48 hours. In the central town of Tira, Mohammed Hajaj and his fiancé Rima Abu Gheit were shot dead while sitting in their car. In the coastal community of Jisr a-Zarka, Radad Faisal Radad was shot dead and three others were wounded. In the Galilee village of Raineh, Jonathan Nuesray was killed in an altercation between two local families. Only one of the four, Hajaj, was previously known to the police.
So far this year, 37 Arab Israelis have been murdered, and 70 were murdered last year. According to police data issued in June, 95% of all crime-related shooting incidents in Israel involve Arabs. Some 76% of those suspected of illegal weapons possession are Arabs; 55% of murder victims are Arabs, as are 57% of murder suspects. Arabs constitute 21% of Israel’s population.
