Crime in Israel

Crime in Israel is present in various forms which include drug trafficking, arms trafficking, burglary, car theft, human trafficking etc.

Organised crime

Organised crime has increased dramatically in Israel since the 1990s and is described by the BBC and the Israeli Police as a "booming industry". The Israeli organised crime groups have extended their activities in foreign countries like the United States, South Africa, and the Netherlands^[1]. According to a report by the Israel Police, drug trafficking, trafficking of women for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation, illicit gambling, pirate filling stations and real estate are the major forms of crime in the country^[2].

In 2002, the Israel Police documented 464,854 criminal files and non-prosecution cases while the number was 484,688 in 2003. This was an increase of 4.5% over 2002^[3].

Crimes in Israel committed by Palestinians

Director of the Latin American Institute of the American Jewish Committee in Washington, D.C. Dina Siegel, criminology professor H. G. van de Bunt, and lecturer in criminology Damián Zaitch showed in their book Global Organized Crime that a significant amount of crime in Israel, especially crime against property, is committed by the residents of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA or PA)^[4]. Motor vehicle theft is a major crime committed by the Palestinians. Since the early 1990s, there has been an increase in the rate of robberies in Israel. Between 1994 and 2001, the rate of robberies increased from 14.0 to 30.6 cases per 100,000 population. The reason behind this increase in robberies is analyzed as a result of the establishment of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Gaza Strip which according to the book Global Organized Crime "serves as a safe haven for Palestinian offenders". However, the organized crime industry associated with motor vehicle theft involves not only Palestinians, but also Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs. The parts of the stolen cars are removed in "chop shops" in the Palestinian Authority and then these vehicles are sold in the black market in the Israeli territory. Media reports suggest some of these vehicles are even handed over to high-ranking Palestinian Authority officials^[5]. It was reported that since the beginning of 2010 through the end of February 2010, the Palestinian Authority police have destroyed 910 stolen cars.^[6]

Although Palestinian criminals are involved in organized crime in the country, Siegel et al. suggested one should not conclude that "organized crime in Israel is dominated by Palestinians. Organized crime committed by Jews or other non-Palestinians has been part of the Israeli crime scene for many years".^[2]

Arms trafficking is another form of crime and it is directly associated with terrorism. There are many links between Israeli and Palestinian gangsters that facilitate these ventures^[5].

Drugs in Israel

Heroin abuse has long been a problem in Israel and Cocaine abuse is increasing. The drugs come mainly from neighbouring countries Lebanon and Jordan. Cannabis is imported from Egypt.

Israel is also a money-laundering center^[7].

Juvenile Victims and Perpetrators

Violence against minors is also a problem in Israel. In 1999, approximately 7,000 cases of crimes against minors were documented which included physical assault (54%), molestation (37%) and repeated physical victimization (9%)^[8]. However, Israeli minors are not solely the victims of crime, they are also sometimes the perpetrators. Teenage violence in schools is a problem in Israel; the first major study on teenage crime in the nation by T. Horowitz and M. Amir in 1981 indicated three major forms of violence in Israeli schools: theft, breaking and entering, and vandalism^[9]. Studies have suggested that Israeli Arab youth are more violent than Jews in the country, a fact which academics attribute to cultural, social, and economic differences^[10].

Murder

In Israel the number of homicide rate produced by criminal activities is relatively low: 2.4 killed per 100,000 inhabitants in a year (in Switzerland the number is 0.71, in Russia is 14.9, in South Africa is 34, in Venezuela is 49).^[11] In 2009, 135 people were murdered in Israel. Two major motivations for homicide in Israel are violence against women (including honour killings) and politically motivated violence ie Arab terrorism against Jewish Israelis.

Street Crime

In Israel, street crime is rare. Crime rates are quite evenly spread across the country, albeit with some "bad" neighbourhoods in the larger towns.

Far-right and hate-crimes

Although Jews are a majority in Israel, there continue to be minor incidents of anti-semitism. In September 2007 eight white supremacists sporting tattoos including the number 88 (code for Heil Hitler because "H" is the eighth letter of the alphabet) from Petah Tikva were arrested after a year of being observed desecrating synagogues, giving Nazi salutes in the street, attacking religious Jews, collected weapons explosives and Nazi propaganda and making a video^[12]. Israeli courts have ruled that making a stiff-armed Nazi salute and shouting "Heil Sharon" - a reference to then-prime minister Ariel Sharon - at a police officer was not the crime of insulting a public sector worker^[13]. The magistrate judge determined that if the settler had used the word "Nazi" or a similar word in referring to the police officers, or if the settler had uttered "Heil Hitler" this would have constituted a crime.

See also

	Israel portal
	Crime portal

• Israeli mafia
• Jewish terrorism
• Palestinian terrorism

References

1. ^ Israel struggles to keep lid on crime BBC News
2. ^ ^{a b} Dina Siegel, H. G. van de Bunt, Damián Zaitch (2003). Global Organized Crime: Trends and Developments. Springer. pp. 147. ISBN 1402018185. 
3. ^ Crime in Israel – in 2003 Israel Police
4. ^ Dina Siegel, H. G. van de Bunt, Damián Zaitch (2003). Global Organized Crime: Trends and Developments. Springer. pp. 145. ISBN 1402018185. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Dina Siegel, H. G. van de Bunt, Damián Zaitch (2003). Global Organized Crime: Trends and Developments. Springer. pp. 146. ISBN 1402018185. 
6. ^ "Nablus police destroys 498 illegal cars, dismantle explosive". Ma'am. 20 February 2010. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=262889. 
7. ^ "CIA World Factbook - Israel". CIA World Factbook. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/is.html. 
8. ^ Florence Denmark, Leonore Loeb Adler, Melvin Ember (2004). International Perspectives on Violence. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 139. ISBN 0275974987. 
9. ^ Florence Denmark, Leonore Loeb Adler, Melvin Ember (2004). International Perspectives on Violence. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 141. ISBN 0275974987. 
10. ^ Florence Denmark, Leonore Loeb Adler, Melvin Ember (2004). International Perspectives on Violence. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 143. ISBN 0275974987. 
11. ^ List of countries by intentional homicide rate
12. ^ Israeli 'neo-Nazi gang' arrested BBC 9 September 2007.
13. ^ Court: No crime to shout 'Heil Sharon' while giving Nazi salute Haaretz 24 May 2009