Palestinian teenager shot amid increasing violence in Israel

An 18-year-old man was shot and seriously injured in the Palestinian town of Umm al-Fahm in northern Israel on Saturday, according to police. 

Paramedics reportedly took the man to the nearby town of Afula for treatment. 

Palestinian citizens of Israel have long accused Israeli police of turning a blind eye to crime within their communities, saying the police have failed to crack down on criminal organisations. 

A parliamentary report in August revealed that male Palestinian citizens of Israel aged over 25 are 36 times more likely to fall victim to gun violence than their Jewish Israeli counterparts.

Those living in predominantly Palestinian neighbourhoods were 30 times more likely to be a victim of gun crime than those living in Jewish areas, according to the study.

Palestinian citizens of Israel face systematic discrimination and complain of being treated as second-class citizens in comparison to their Jewish counterparts. Large segments of the Israeli public see Palestinian citizens as a demographic threat to Israel's Jewish identity, with discrimination entrenched across housing, public services, education, and employment.