Israel police say 85 arrested in crackdown on spike in killings of Palestinians

Israeli police said Thursday that they had arrested 85 people in raids meant to crack down on a spike in murders of Palestinian citizens of Israel.

Police said that they had seized guns and ammunition, an explosive device, and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cash in the space of 24 hours.

Thousands of police officers participated in the raids, which took place in the city of Lod and elsewhere, The Times of Israel reported.

A record-breaking 148 Palestinian citizens of Israel have been killed in intra-community violence since the start of 2023, according to a tally by Israeli news outlet Haaretz — twice as many as were killed by this time in 2022.

Leaders of the Palestinian community in Israel have blamed the deaths on police letting powerful criminal organisations run riot.

They also say that the rampant violent crime can be blamed at least in part on systemic discrimination against Palestinians, who make up about one-fifth of Israel’s population.

Ministers in Israel’s current far-right government have moved to divert funds meant for economic development and anti-crime initiatives for Palestinians.