Over the past year, and especially in recent months, reports have been received of shooting incidents in the Arab villages adjacent to the community of Beit Rimon in the Lower Galilee, Aruzt Sheva - Isrel National News was told by local resident Oz Kedoshim.
According to him, the gunfire originates in the nearby Arab villages of Rumat al-Heib, Rumaneh and Uzeir.
Kedoshim describes a daily reality in which, "every day there are two or three shooting incidents - bursts from Kalashnikovs or M16s, as well as fireworks."
He stresses that residents report to the police on a regular basis, but in his view, "the matter is not being dealt with in any way."
A complaint made to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also produced no results, he alleges. "Someone contacted him, he asked them to forward case numbers and they did forward a case number - but it did not help."
Last Saturday an especially unusual event occurred, when a wedding held in the afternoon continued into the evening amid heavy gunfire. "There were incessant bursts. The police did not arrive, did not shut the event down in any way," says Kedoshim.
He says residents live in constant fear and recounts that his own car was struck by a stray bullet. "I wanted to change a flat tire in Kafr Kanna, the owner of the repair shop drove in with his car - and suddenly, boom, a bullet struck the hood," he says.
He claims there is a large amount of illegal weaponry in the area. "Everyone here has weapons, and no one cares. A particular person pointed out shops to me that have weapons. In Kafr Kanna alone, there are, by estimates, some 10,000 illegal weapons of various types. Someone needs to wake up," he says.
Police sources responded to the article, saying, "The Northern District is operating with increased intensity in the communities adjacent to Beit Rimon. The police are constantly gathering intelligence on shooting incidents and preventing them. We are continually seizing weapons and working hard - in order to maintain the security of citizens."
They note that recently a suspect, a soldier, was arrested for firing from a long firearm, and that a severe indictment for weapons possession and firing in public will be filed against him soon.
The Minister's staff added, "Minister Ben-Gvir is in WhatsApp groups of communities and is attentive to the alerts residents raise. In the past the police did not enter the villages, but now there is extensive police activity on the issue. When you lift the stones, the snakes come out. We are acting with full force against crime. There is much work to do, but we are working and, God willing, we will succeed."