Arab Organized Crime in Israel

Abstract

For many years, Israel denied the existence of organized crime in the country. However, numerous journalist investigations, governmental fact-finding committees, and very few criminological researches finally proved that criminal organizations regularly conducted criminal activities in Israel and abroad, including drug and weapon trafficking, human trafficking for sexual exploitation, extortion and protection racket, money laundering, and fraud. This article analyzes the dynamics inside Israel’s underworld, the criminal activities in Arab communities, and the social response from Israeli authorities and law enforcement to the growing power of Arab organized crime. The data were collected during an ongoing empirical research in Israel and online.