National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir participated in operational activity in the town of Tuba-Zangariyye in the upper Galilee this week with officers and volunteers from the Border Police's Mounted Tactical Unit.
The unit operates, among other things, to fight organized crime and protection rackets across Israel. During the tour, Ben-Gvir was briefed by the commanders and officers about their daily struggle with criminal entities, patrolled with the forces in the field, and heard about the complex challenges they face.
The Minister also met with residents and business owners in the area, who spoke about the difficulties they experience because of racketeering and asked to continue and expand the fight against it.
Video from the visit shows Ben-Gvir confronting residents and shouting at them, "We're the bosses here."
During the visit, Ben-Gvir was presented with the enforcement figures on the issue, which show an increase in police activity in recent years. The number of investigation cases opened into crimes of protection rose by 40%, from 1,515 cases in 2022 to 2,125 cases in 2025. At the same time, the number of indictments jumped by 100%, from 222 in 2022 to 460 in 2025.
Ben Gvir addressed the figures during the tour and said, “Since the beginning of the term, we began dealing with the phenomenon of protection rackets. We passed a protection-racket law, and I established two anti-protection racket units, one in the north and one in the south. I defined a clear objective for the regional major crime units: protection rackets = war. The statistics speak for themselves - we have doubled the number of cases and doubled the indictments compared to 2022. And still, there is much more work to do. This is a phenomenon that was neglected for decades; no one wanted to touch this hot potato."
He later emphasized the importance of cooperation from citizens and business owners in the police effort: “The central problem with protection rackets is that some citizens are afraid to file complaints. I say everywhere: do not be afraid, you must complain. When people file complaints, it works. Do not fear - the Israel Police are with you. People need to understand that you must not surrender to criminals - today they demand your business, tomorrow your house; what will the next stage be? And once the police reach them, you discover that behind all the theatrics are pathetic, cowardly, low-level criminals. People need to complain, and the police will do the work."
