Police said in a statement that 25-year-old Adir Vahib Ghanem was grievously wounded in the shooting last night and was taken to Meir Medical Center, where he died early this morning.

The police stated that they launched an operation to capture the suspects and that they are working to determine if the guard or the mayor of the town were the target of the murder.

According to the Abraham Initiatives NGO, this death brings to 55 the number of Arab-Israelis who have lost their lives since the year began in violent incidents, 51 of them by shootings.

The descendants of the Palestinians who were not expelled from their lands after the creation of the Jewish state in 1948 have since denounced that they are treated as second-class citizens.

Today Arabs number 1.9 million people, almost 21 percent of Israel’s total population. The minority has experienced an increase in violence in recent years, driven mainly by organized crime, amid criticism of the passivity of the police in dealing with the problem. High unemployment rates, poverty and other social factors are also causes of the scourge, according to several studies.

A survey conducted in March of last year revealed that 94 percent of Arabs living in Israel, at some point, have suffered racism and discrimination from the Jewish majority. According to research from the Center for Religion, “Nation and State”, 69 percent said they were subjected to racism and discrimination in public places, while 41 percent were also subjected to discriminatory acts in academic institutions.

The Sikkuy NGO assures that one of the main reasons for the differences between Arab and Jewish citizens is the unequal allocation of state resources. Sikkuy highlighted in its 2020 annual report that 14.5 percent of Jewish families live below poverty line, while for Arabs it’s 45.3 percent.

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