Israel police commissioner caught on tape saying killing is the 'mentality of Arabs'

An Israeli police commissioner claimed it is part of the "nature" and "mentality" of the Palestinian citizens of Israel to kill, in a phone call with extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. 

Kobi Shabtai and Ben Gvir were reportedly in a phone call about Israel's proposed National Guard and its ability to "tackle record-high crime rates in Arab communities", The Times of Israel said.

In a transcript that was leaked to Israel's Channel 12, Shabtai claimed during the call there was "nothing" the police could do because killing is "the mentality of the Arabs". 

"They kill each other. That is their nature," he said. 

Relations between Ben Gvir and Shabtai have been increasingly fractious since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-right coalition assumed power.

Shabtai's team was incredulous upon finding out that Ben Gvir, who has a track record of making inflammatory anti-Palestinian remarks himself, recorded private conversations. 

The commissioner said it called into question the police's ability to report to the minister in the future. 

The police team also hit back at the press for taking comments out of context. They claimed the "a conversation [was about] patterns of conduct in Arab society", The Times of Israel reported.

The Israeli police have yet to apologise for the prejudicial remarks. 

Ayman Odeh, who chairs the Arab opposition Joint List party, called for Shabtai to be fired. 

"The number of Palestinians killed in [criminal incidents in] Israel is seven times higher than the number of Palestinians killed [in criminal incidents] in the West Bank, Gaza and Jordan," Odeh tweeted. 

Israel has illegally occupied Palestinian territory in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem since 1967, orchestrating a system of oppression that international rights groups say amounts to "the crime of apartheid". 

So far in 2023, at least 95 Palestinians have been killed in attacks by Israeli forces, making this year one of the deadliest on record for Palestinians in the occupied territories.