The government approved Wednesday evening a joint Shin Bet and police program worth approximately NIS 497 million to combat organized crime in Arab society, according to a joint statement from the Prime Minister's Office, Social Equality Minister May Golan, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. NIS 364.5 million will go to the Shin Bet for a dedicated unit against arms smuggling and trafficking, and NIS 132.4 million to the police for a national anti-crime unit. The program also adds 130 Shin Bet personnel positions starting in 2026, with a permanent annual budget of NIS 35 million.
The government approved Wednesday evening a joint Shin Bet and police program worth approximately NIS 497 million to combat organized crime in Arab society, the Prime Minister's Office announced in a joint statement with Social Equality Minister May Golan and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. The approval came at 22:39 Jerusalem, about an hour before this bulletin. The program allocates NIS 364.5 million to the Shin Bet for a dedicated unit against arms smuggling and trafficking, and NIS 132.4 million to the police for a national anti-crime unit, along with 130 new Shin Bet personnel positions starting in 2026 and a permanent annual budget of NIS 35 million.
The decision follows a series of reports over the past week. As The Zioneer reported on Saturday (Jul 4, 21:12 Jerusalem), the government had decided to allocate funds to the Shin Bet for this purpose for the first time. On Tuesday (Jul 7, 12:36 Jerusalem), the government was expected to approve a NIS 500 million budget, according to a Channel 14 report. Earlier Wednesday (15:45 Jerusalem), Minister Golan argued that police cannot tackle the crime wave alone. The thread of the government's approval shows multiple versions, with totals ranging from NIS 497 million to NIS 500 million, before the final confirmation at 22:39 Jerusalem.
The program diverts funds from the previous government's Plan 550 — a five-year, NIS 550 million economic development plan for Arab communities — toward security enforcement, as The Zioneer reported on Monday (Jul 6, 21:07 Jerusalem). This marks the first time the Shin Bet — Israel's internal security service, traditionally focused on counterterrorism and counterintelligence — receives dedicated funding and a formal mandate to operate against organized crime within Israel's Arab communities. The decision follows months of political debate and a legal opinion that previously blocked Shin Bet involvement in internal criminal matters.
The exact total of the program remains slightly unclear, with some reports citing NIS 500 million and the official announcement stating NIS 497 million. The implementation timeline and the effectiveness of the new units are yet to be assessed.
8 developments
- StrongGovernment allocates first-ever funds to Shin Bet for combating Arab crime
- StrongGovernment to approve NIS 500 million for Shin Bet's fight against Arab organized crime
- DevelopingLegal opinion blocks Shin Bet from tackling Arab-Israeli crime surge
- DevelopingOpinion: Fighting crime in Arab communities is no job for the Shin Bet
Source and signal
- Internal intake