Israel’s police commissioner: Arabs murder each other, it’s their mentality

“They kill each other. That is their nature. That is the mentality of the Arabs,” Kobi Shabtai said in a conversation that was leaked.

By World Israel News Staff

Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai said that killings are a fundamental aspect of Arab culture and mentality during a conversation with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, roiling Arab-Israeli politicians.

The two men have publicly clashed over the minister’s proposal to form a National Guard under Ben-Gvir’s authority, which aims to restore law and order, particularly in Israel’s crime-ridden Arab and peripheral communities.

Shabtai has blasted the initiative, saying it will endanger national security because of potential confusion regarding the chain of command.

During a phone call secretly recorded by Ben-Gvir and leaked to Channel 12 by his office, the minister is heard telling Shabtai that rampant murders within the Arab-Israeli community make the new security body necessary.

“One murder after another. It has crossed every line. We need a strong National Guard,” Ben-Gvir said to Shabtai.

“Mr. Minister, there is nothing that can be done. They kill each other. That is their nature. That is the mentality of the Arabs,” Shabtai said in response.

A media statement on behalf of Shabtai said that the commissioner was surprised that Ben-Gvir was secretly recording their conversations and leaking them to the press.

Shabtai is “outraged that statements were taken out of context from a conversation that dealt with patterns of conduct in Arab society,” the statement said.

However, the statement said that Shabtai is referring to a real phenomenon within Arab society, which sees crimes go unsolved due to witnesses’ refusal to cooperate with authorities.

Arab citizens “refuse to reveal the identity of murderers, even when it is known to the relatives of the victims,” the statement added.

Joint List Chair Ayman Odeh, who has faced repeated investigations for incitement and supporting terror, responded angrily to Shabtai’s remarks. He blamed the high murder rate among Arab Israelis on “racism” by Israeli authorities.

“The number of Palestinians murdered in Israel is seven times higher than the number of Palestinians murdered in the West Bank, Gaza and Jordan,” Odeh wrote on Twitter.

“This is not the nature of the Palestinians, it is the nature of the racist establishment.

“In any other country, a racist commissioner like Shabtai would be fired in an instant. Shabtai, Resign!” he added.

Arab crimeAyman OdehIsrael PoliceItamar Ben-GvirKobi Shabtai