'Arab lives matter' campaign heats up in Israel seeking more policing

Abu Snan, Israel: A campaign under 'Arab lives matter' is doing the rounds in Israel in a bid to raise awareness about the increasing violence within the Arab community that forms about 25% of the total population of Israel.

The campaign taking inspiration from the US' 'Black lives matter' demands the authority to increase the police surveillance in the Arab dominated areas in the wake of violent clashes among the Arab people that often end up in killing, the share of which is far more than their share in total population.

According to the Abraham Initiatives, an Israeli civil society organization fostering Jewish-Arab coexistence, of a total of 93 people who have been killed so far this year at least 78 were Arab citizens. The reports claimed that most of the crimes linked with the Arab communities were either related to family disputes or criminal gang fights.

The activists behind the campaign blamed the ignorant authority for the deadly crimes among Arabs which was one of the reasons the crimes rates have gone up. Meanwhile, Israeli officials said that in recent years, the authority has floated many initiatives with larger budgets for law enforcement in Arab communities, but police say community leaders could do more to help them.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett pledged last month that after years of neglect, his newly inaugurated government would combat violent crime plaguing Arab communities. That was one of the top demands of a small Arab party that made history by joining his narrow coalition.

After another two people were killed in Arab towns last week, Arab blogger Sheren Falah Saab tweeted "#Arab_lives_matter" in Hebrew intending to open a dialogue with Israel's Jewish majority.