Is Arab Gang Violence a Dark Sign of Israel’s Future?

Violent crime is surging among Israel’s Arab community. At least 36 Arab citizens of Israel have been murdered so far this year, almost a murder a day. With at least 241 murders, 2025 was the deadliest year on record for Israeli Arabs. The same year, there were 47 murders among Israel’s Jewish community, despite Israel being home to four times as many Jews. This trend could lead to a massive rupture of Israel’s security.

Much of the problem comes from rising rates of gangsterism among Israeli Arabs. Many of these organized crime networks are based among family clans. Israel does not publish data regarding these organizations’ membership or financing, but Bank of Israel data from 2023 suggests these gangs have at least billions of shekels’ worth of financing annually. Major sources of income include protection rackets and the narcotics trade.

The Israel Police have solved an estimated 10 to 15 percent of the 2025 cases. Some blame negligence in tackling what may be viewed as “Arab problems.” But Israeli Arabs speaking with the New York Times say the threat of retribution from gangs prevents many witnesses from coming forward.

The weapons these groups have are military-grade. Some groups regularly steal weapons from the Israel Defense Forces. Other sources are smugglers at the borders of Egypt and Jordan. Some even have their own weapons manufacturing facilities in the West Bank. Informal estimates suggest these gangs have access to hundreds of thousands of weapons.

Because of this, gangs have taken over many Arab-Israeli communities. Kamel Rayan, founder of the Center for Combating Violence in Arab Society, told the Jerusalem Post that these criminal groups “seek to dictate every aspect [of daily life]—from public institutions to mosques and schools.” He said these groups have established their own “judicial courts” over Arab communities, wresting authority from Israel’s judicial system and even traditional Arab community justice systems and imams.

“The gunmen want to become the local ruling authority,” Rayan said, “and nobody can stop them, because their weapons make them stronger than everyone else. … They want to manage local budgets and make decisions for community leaders. For example, heads of local councils may not always be able to promote building projects in the places they choose without the consent of the gangsters, who want to be involved in everything. What can mayors and community leaders do in that situation? They don’t have divisions or tanks.”

This is not the West Bank. This is within Israel proper. This is where Israel should have the strongest assurance of law and order. Yet either through willful negligence or fear of a Mexico-style gang war, the problem is out of hand.

“Anyone who thinks the rampant violence in Arab towns is ‘their problem’ is, in effect, abandoning Israeli sovereignty in significant parts of the country,” Shuki Friedman wrote for the Times of Israel. “You cannot sustain a ‘state within a state.’ We cannot have a Wild West in the Galilee (where about 42 percent of last year’s murders occurred) and expect the rest of Israel to remain safe and law-abiding.”

The book of Zechariah prophesies that violence within Israel’s borders will explode. Zechariah 14:1-2 read: “Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.”

“Notice how specific this prophecy is,” Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry writes in Jerusalem in Prophecy. “East Jerusalem—one half of the city—will be conquered by the Palestinians! … Today the Arabs live in roughly one half of Jerusalem. They just don’t control it—yet. When such an attack occurs, the Jews couldn’t effectively drop bombs … on one half of their own city.”

Mr. Flurry elaborates on how the fulfillment of this prophecy will be the catalyst for the rest of the terrible prophecies of the Day of the Lord. It all starts with violence between Israel’s Jews and Arabs.

Currently, Israel’s gang problem is mostly restricted to Arab-on-Arab violence regarding criminal enterprises. It hasn’t yet taken nationalist or religious dimensions. But the foundation is there for horrible violence from these groups—not only in Jerusalem but throughout Israel.

To learn more, request a free copy of Jerusalem in Prophecy.