National state of emergency and a billion-shekel budget: Yair Golan presents plan to combat crime in Arab society
The chairman of The Democrats pledged to establish a special task force and dedicated courts, sharply criticizing the government: "A country capable of reaching any terrorist organization can also handle crime." He stated that the party will demand the Ministry of Internal Security portfolio.
A national state of emergency, a special task force, and a budget of one billion shekels per year: the chairman of The Democrats, Yair Golan, presented his party's plan to fight organized crime in Arab society today (Monday) at a press conference in Nazareth, calling it a "root treatment." Golan pledged that within the first week of a government under his leadership or participation, a national state of emergency would be declared and a dedicated task force would be established to unite all law enforcement agencies in the country.
Golan outlined the central pillars of the plan, including shortening judicial procedures to move from arrest to imprisonment within nine months, establishing dedicated courts for serious crimes, and launching a large-scale economic war to dry up the funding sources of criminal organizations and disqualify associated companies from public tenders.
Furthermore, Golan announced the creation of "Team 49"—an inter-ministerial body uniting education, welfare, law enforcement, and rehabilitation systems to identify and rescue at-risk youth from criminal organizations. The initiative is named after the 49 children and minors murdered in recent years.
During the press conference, held alongside a display of seized weapons—including RPG missiles, MAG machine guns, and pistols—Golan addressed Arab residents and bereaved families directly, asking for their forgiveness. "Forgive me that the government abandoned you and gave up on its most basic duty: to protect the lives of its citizens," he said. "Instead of fighting criminal organizations, it allowed them to grow stronger and become the de facto rulers of entire streets."
Golan sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, emphasizing that the surge in crime is not a matter of fate or culture: "This is a continuous failure of the government. A country that knows how to reach any terrorist organization in the world and expose nuclear facilities in Iran knows how to reach any criminal organization and locate illegal weapons anywhere in Israel. When there is a decision and a will, there is the ability."
According to Golan, the struggle against crime in Arab society is a threat to all of Israeli society. "When a criminal organization takes over an Arab town, it does not stay there; it reaches the roads, the cities, the businesses, and the lives of all of us. No one will be safe until we are all safe," he concluded, pledging: "Our first demand will be to receive the Ministry of Internal Security portfolio. Our test is one: the test of results."
Parents of murdered children also spoke, including Dr. Ashraf Safia, a respected dentist and father of 15-year-old Nabil, who was shot to death in the village of Yassif. "For those who don't know, I am Nabil's father. A gifted child who studied all day for a biology exam and went for a walk after school, only to return in a coffin. We in Arab society have been abandoned. There are 75,000 weapons in circulation. It is my duty to protect my son, but who guarantees me that he will return safely from soccer practice? Whoever abandoned us must leave and bring us people who will look us in the eye. I see light at the end of the tunnel because this chaos is unacceptable. We ask the leadership to protect us. That is all."
