Netanyahu Proposes Special Budget for Fighting Crime in Arab Sector

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu promised Arab leaders on Tuesday that he will immediately submit to the Cabinet a special budget for fighting crime in Arab communities.

Netanyahu told a meeting of local council heads: “The goal is to submit a unique budget now, to start the work, not to wait. A project manager must be appointed to coordinate the work, not just police work but all actions that we want to do in order to implement our plan.

“We are taking action to anchor the vast campaign against crime and violence in Arab communities that will quickly spread to Jewish communities. I cannot accept this. I am not just saying this.

“I assigned the responsibility to the Public Security Minister and the new Israel Police Inspector General, who have responded and you are already seeing the changes being made. But this is not enough.

“I want special forces, task forces. We can do this because we have technologies that did not exist elsewhere. We have technologies that eliminated organized crime in the Jewish sector and completely eliminated domestic terrorism.”

The heads of the following councils attended the discussion: Tuba-Zangariya Local Council, Aroer Local Council, Tel Sheva Local Council, Bustan al-Marj Regional Council, Al-Batuf Regional Council, Al-Kasom Regional Council and Kuseife Local Council.

Alongside Netanyahu were Public Security Minister Amir Ohana, the head of the Prime Minister’s Staff Asher Hayon, Prime Minister’s Office Acting Director General Tzachi Braverman, Israel Police Inspector General Yaakov Shabtai, Federation of Local Authorities Chairman Haim Bibas, Dimona Mayor Benny Biton and other senior officials, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.