Violence and crime in Arab society are not a new phenomenon but a painful and ongoing daily reality. Murders, shootings, threats, and fear have become part of the routine life of law-abiding citizens, while failed government policy, partial enforcement, and years of neglect allow crime to deepen and expand. Within this reality, it seems the public has grown accustomed to hearing yet another report and another number, as if it were a decree of fate rather than a war that can, and must, be won.
Because when there is a murder, we will see and hear about it everywhere. Whether on the evening news, on social media, or through messages circulating in WhatsApp groups, the report will arrive, the image will appear, the pain will surface for a moment and then disappear into an endless stream of events.
But about the struggle against this phenomenon, about the efforts to change it, about the day-to-day work of communities that refuse to surrender, we hear almost nothing. And that is precisely the heart of the problem. Arab society is not only absorbing the violence. It is also fighting back. Yet, in this fight, it is not given the attention it deserves.
Highlighting the fight against crime
It is precisely in the moments when a society chooses not to remain silent, when it decides to organize, set boundaries, and confront crime, that the truly important story begins. Not the story of destruction but the story of responsibility. Not only a story of fear but also one of hope. Yet, too often, it seems that too few people outside Arab society know this story, and too few spotlights are directed toward it.
It is worth stopping for a moment, taking a breath, and learning from what happened in Sakhnin. For years, we became used to thinking that change must come from above, from political declarations, committees, speeches, and budgets. But recent events have proven otherwise.
The real power lies with the people, in the streets. Citizens are the ones who live this harsh reality every single day. They know the failures, the fear, and the human cost. And when they feel a red line has been crossed, they do not only cry out. They act.
The civic mobilization in Sakhnin illustrated that when initiative comes from the public, it is more genuine, more connected to reality, and freer from outside interests. One individual, with an authentic cry of pain and responsibility, succeeded in bringing thousands out of their homes, creating a broad protest movement, and reminding us of what happens when citizens refuse to keep silent.
But Sakhnin is not the only case. Across the ground, many organizations are active today – youth movements, educational frameworks, and community initiatives – leading a consistent struggle against violence and crime. They hold educational activities, work with teenagers and young adults, strengthen a sense of belonging and responsibility, offer an alternative to a path of fear and weapons, and rebuild what matters most: trust in the future. This is daily work, sometimes quiet, often difficult, but it is also the deepest and most long-term impactful work of all.
The need for partnership
Such initiatives are not asking for pity or apologies. They are asking for partnership. They prove that Arab society is not merely a victim of a violent reality but an active, responsible, and mature actor, seeking safe lives, a better future for the younger generation, and full belonging within Israeli society. This is also a call for all of us to understand that the fight against violence is not a sectoral problem but a test for an entire country.
The question that remains open is not only where the state is but where the broader public is. Are we willing to see beyond the next painful headline? Are we willing to listen to voices that are building, not only those describing destruction? Because the true story of Arab society is not found only in crime scenes but also in public squares, classrooms, community gatherings, and in the people who refuse to give in.
That is why it must be said clearly: This struggle cannot remain internal and isolated. Even when there is impressive civic awakening, it cannot withstand on its own powerful criminal organizations, widespread access to weapons, and a continuing sense of abandonment. In order to win, a shared front is needed, real cooperation between local leadership, the education system, parents, young people, the police, and state authorities.
But no less importantly, the entire Israeli society must also listen, recognizing that this is a struggle over life itself, and that every success in it is a national interest. The moment the struggle of Arab society is seen as a struggle of everyone, the real chance for deep, lasting change will emerge, change that will not stop at the next headline.
It is time for this struggle to take its rightful place on the stage. Not after the next murder, but before it.
The writer is co-CEO of AJEEC NISPED.