Jews Resolve Things in Court, Arabs Pull Out a Weapon, Israeli Minister Says

Responding to a wave of protest by Israeli Arabs over what they deem a lax police response to violent crime in the Arab community, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said Monday it "is a very, very violent society" with "cultural norms" that promote violence.

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Speaking on Radio Jerusalem, Erdan argued violence in the Arab community "has to do with the culture there, where many conflicts that here would end with a legal charge, there they would pull out a knife or a weapon. It has to do with how a mother can give an approval to her son to murder [his] sister because she dates a man the family doesn't like."

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Erdan, whose office is in charge of overseeing the Israel Police, is slated to meet leading Israeli Arab politicians on Thursday, in a bid to find solutions for the uptick in gun violence in the Arab community, but senior lawmaker Ahmad Tibi said his peers are reconsidering the meeting over the minister's latest comments.

However, Erdan's bureau has yet to receive notice of the meeting's cancellation.