- After tens of thousands turned out against organized crime in Sakhnin, leading Arab umbrella group seeks to capture attention of Jewish Israelis at Habima Square on Saturday
Leaders in the Arab Israeli community are calling on people to turn out en masse in Tel Aviv this weekend for a march against the ongoing wave of violent crime plaguing Arab society.
The so-called “Black Flag” march was called by the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel in a bid to ramp up pressure on the government and force politicians to address the issue.
Marchers carrying black flags are expected to kick off the demonstration Saturday at 6 p.m. outside the Tel Aviv Museum, then continue to Habima Square, where a rally will take place.
Though organized by the High Follow-Up Committee, the demonstration has received support from Jewish-led protest movements, as well as NGOs and civil society organizations.
In a statement, the High Follow-Up Committee said the march will take place amid “a dangerous escalation in crime, violence and extortion within the Arab community,” following the violent deaths of 25 Arab citizens in homicides over the past month.
Arab society experienced its deadliest year to date in 2025, after 252 people lost their lives in crime-related killings. Anger and demonstrations over the violence, as well as perceived neglect by law enforcement, have escalated over the past two weeks.
On Thursday last week, Arab towns nationwide partook in a general strike, which culminated in a large march through the northern city of Sakhnin that drew an estimated 70,000 to 100,000 participants.
community, in Sakhnin, northern Israel, January 22, 2026.
The strike and march were sparked by a local businessman in Sakhnin, Ali Zbidat, who shuttered his supermarket chain days prior after coming clean about having been targeted by gangs seeking to extort him.
Other shopowners followed suit and closed down their establishments in solidarity with Zbidat, leading to a days-long local strike in the town.
Since then, residents have staged local protests throughout the north on a daily basis, including in Nazareth, Tamra and Baqa al-Gharbiyye.
Smaller Arab towns in northern and central Israel have seen similar demonstrations urging police to get guns off the streets and ramp up their arrests of criminals.
Police have largely bucked criticism of their handling of crime in Arab locales and denied accusations of purposeful neglect, acknowledging the scourge but insisting that officers are doing all they can to combat the violence.
The homicide rate in Arab society doubled in 2023, coinciding with the start of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s tenure, and has continued to rise apace since.
BY: The Times Union
