Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Friday that hundreds of thousands of illegal weapons in Israel's Arab society constitute an existential threat that "dwarfs" the October 7 attack, according to the minister's statement.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich warned on Friday that the proliferation of illegal firearms within Israel's Arab society poses a threat he described as existential — one that "dwarfs" the October 7, 2023 massacre. In a statement circulated by his office, Smotrich said there are "hundreds of thousands of weapons" in Arab communities across the country, calling the situation a strategic crisis that the state is not adequately addressing. The remarks come amid ongoing debate over gun violence in Arab towns, which has prompted police crackdowns and legislative efforts. Smotrich's framing — comparing the scale of the threat to the deadliest terror attack in Israel's history — marks a significant escalation in political rhetoric on the issue. There was no immediate response from Arab leadership or public security officials.
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- DevelopingSecurity assessment: half a million illegal guns, rifles, and machine guns in Israel
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