Gilad Erdan
Gilad ErdanFlash 90

The leaders of the Joint List met Thursday with Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan and senior police officials to discuss the issue of violence in Arab society. The meeting lasted three hours.

During the meeting, Erdan stated that he supports a government decision for a five-year plan for Arab society and that 620 police officers would be specifically allocated to deal with crime in the sector.

In addition, Israel Police's Lahav 433 Unit [an Israeli crime-fighting umbrella organization within the Israeli police known as the "Israeli FBI"] will also become involved in fighting crime in the Arab sector.

MK Ayman Odeh, chairman of the Joint List, said at the end of the meeting, "We can say that some progress has been made in some important areas, but it is still far from satisfying our wishes. We are demanding a government decision and so we will continue the fight."

At the beginning of the meeting, Odeh wrote on his Twitter account: "We're entering a meeting with Erdan and the police department after 1,387 unnecessary funerals. The solutions on the table for years - eradicating crime - is just a matter of will."