Posted: Posted October 3, 2021 / 10:05 am CDT / Has been updated: October 3, 2021 / 10:05 am CDT

Jerusalem (AP) —The Israeli government said on Sunday that it is participating in military and Simbet internal security agencies as it seeks to curb a wave of violence in the country’s Arab sector.

The Arab minority, which makes up about 20% of Israel’s population, has been upset by violent crimes in recent years with murder rates that far exceed its share of the population. The waves are caused by criminal organizations and family conflicts.

Israeli authorities have promoted many recent initiatives, including a larger budget for law enforcement in the Arab community.

The Arab sector has traditionally suffered from poverty, negligence and discrimination, and residents have shown little confidence in the Jewish majority government. However, Arab residents have recently called on the government to do more for their communities.

Israel’s new coalition government is the first to include the Arab Party as a member. Under the coalition agreement, the government has promised to devote considerable attention and resources to the Arab sector.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said at the first meeting of the Special Ministerial Committee on Sunday that violence had reached the red line and that his government took the issue seriously.

“The state is currently mobilizing Arab citizens to protect them from crime and the depletion of illegal weapons, and from murder and protection rackets,” he said. “This takes a considerable amount of time, effort and resources, and while the nation is mobilizing, the Arab people must understand that security forces are the solution, not the enemy.”

The Commission has appointed former police official Deputy Minister of Public Security Joav Segarovitz to be responsible for the new initiative.

In one of its first decisions, he said the military and simvet (usually focused on Palestinian militants and enemies abroad) would be used to support the confiscation of illegal weapons.

“Our government takes this issue very seriously,” Bennett said, adding that he had provided Sega Lobitz with “tools and support for a successful mission.”