Odeh, head of the Joint List, said he and other Arab leaders had been demanding proper law enforcement in Palestinian communities in Israel, including the collection of illegal guns, for years, but had been ignored.
In the Haaretz daily, commentator Jackie Khoury noted that organized crime had been allowed to grow unchecked in Palestinian communities. More than 1,100 Palestinian citizens had died at the hands of criminals in the past 15 years.
"The primary victims of these weapons are us, the Arab citizens," Odeh said. "The prime minister has refused until now to allocate funds [for the policing of Palestinian communities]. But now, when a weapon is turned against Jews, he suddenly decides to confront the issue."
Odeh's comments were confirmed by Tzipi Livni, the justice minister in Netanyahu's previous government. She said officials had ignored requests from Arab mayors for action against the growth in illegal weapons in Palestinian communities.
Farah was among those raising concerns about the connection between the criminal trade in weapons and the security services.
He said thousands of guns had been distributed by the state to Palestinian citizens serving in the Israeli military, especially in Druze and Bedouin communities, as well as those like Mohammed Melhem who volunteer with the police.
Farah said Palestinian citizens who were allowed a gun often regarded it as a reward or privilege for "collaborating" with the authorities. Some of them then helped acquire weapons for criminals.
"In the great majority of cases, the state knows who [in the Palestinian minority] has weapons and where they are to be found. For the security services, this is part of their power: if he has our gun, he is our guy."
Farah said he was astounded that Mohammed Melham had been allowed to keep a gun at home after his son was found nearly a decade ago to have tried to steal a soldier's weapon to avenge his cousin's death.
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