Three-day General Strike Planned Over Crime, Government Neglect in Arab Society - Israel News
Preparations are underway for a three-day general strike that would completely halt work and economic activity in all Arab localities in Israel in protest of worsening crime and violence and ongoing government neglect of Arab society.
The announcement was made during a meeting of the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel in Kafr Qara on Thursday.
According to the committee's decision, during the strike – whose dates have yet to be determined – employees, both salaried and self-employed, are called upon not to go to their workplaces, and the activities of institutions, businesses and services will be suspended. The aim is to place the issue of violence and crime at the top of the public and political agenda.
The committee also said that in the coming days it will begin dialogue with workers' committees, local authorities and social organizations to safeguard the rights of strikers and prevent dismissals or punitive measures by employers, to expand the scope of the protest.
Alongside preparations for the strike, the Follow-Up Committee called on the public to take part in a nationwide protest march dubbed the "Disruption Convoy," scheduled to take place this coming Sunday.
At the opening of the meeting, Dr. Jamal Zahalka, chairman of the Follow-Up Committee, said that the killing of 35 people since the beginning of the year is "a grave mark of shame on the government of Israel." He added that government neglect and inaction have enabled criminal organizations to operate freely. "The harsh reality requires uncompromising protest measures until the goal is achieved – a safe and protected society – and there is no turning back from this struggle," he said.
Since the morning meeting, the number of Israelis murdered has risen to 38.
The Follow-Up Committee emphasized that the protest measures, led by the general strike and the march to Jerusalem, are part of a planned escalation of the struggle, which will continue until a real change is achieved in the handling of crime and violence in Arab society.
At the same time, southern Israel's Dimona Mayor Beni Biton, who also serves as deputy chairman of the Federation of Local Authorities in Israel and is a member of the Likud Central Committee, said in an interview Thursday evening with Radio a-Shams that he is working to coordinate a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and heads of Arab local authorities to address the issue of the surge in violence.
On average, in 2025, an Arab citizen of Israel has been murdered every 36 hours. The annual number of murder victims in Israel has risen sharply since Itamar Ben Gvir was appointed national security minister at the end of 2022. For comparison: in 2025, 249 Arabs were murdered; in 2024, 233 Arabs were murdered in Israel; in 2023, 242 Arabs were murdered; and in 2022 – before Ben Gvir's appointment – 108 Arabs were murdered.