43-year-old Lawyer Shot After Friday Prayer in Umm al-Fahm Succumbs to Wounds

Ganem Fahmi Jabarin is the 98th Arab murder victim in Israel this year alone, advocacy group says

Oct 11, 2021

Ganem Fahmi Jabarin, a lawyer from Umm al-Fahm died from gunshot wounds on Monday.Credit: Courtesy of the family

Oct 11, 2021

A 43-year-old man died Monday from wounds sustained after he was shot in his city of Umm al-Fahm, making him the 98th murder victim in Israel's Arab community this year.

Ganem Fahmi Jabarin, a lawyer, was shot after leaving Friday prayer at a local mosque. Police suspect he was shot by members of a rival family, but no suspects have been identified.

How Netanyahu’s Polish pandering paved the way for the restitution crisis

On Saturday, a 28-year-old man was shot dead on in the northern Galilee town of Ilut. Issam Asam Salti, a resident of Nazareth, was at his in-laws' house when a brawl broke out between two families in the area. The families hurled stones and shot live fire at each other. Salti was killed by a stray bullet. Five people suspected of involvement in the case were arrested.

Among those in the Arab community who have been killed this year, 13 of the victims were women and 50 were under the age of 30. Eighty percent of the victims were killed as a result of guns.

So far 21 percent of the ongoing murder and violence streak since the beginning of the year in the Arab community have been solved, compared to the 50 percent of solved cases in the Jewish community.

Firearms accounted for about 80 percent of homicides in the Arab community this year. In September, 16 people were murdered in the Arab community, a figure similar to August and January, which were considered peak months in terms of murder incidents in Arab society.

Last week, Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit said that the Shin Bet security service does not have the legal authority to fight crime in Israel's Arab community.

Mendelblit’s clarification came in response to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office that the Shin Bet would cooperate with the IDF and police on the matter. According to Mendelblit, the responsibilities of the Shin Bet have not been expanded, and it is not authorized to operate in ordinary criminal matters, including the gathering of illegal weapons.