Yisrael Beytenu chief says his party will demand that the National Security Ministry call for a special court, tougher laws, and limited Shin Bet support amid rising extortion in the North.
Former defense minister Avigdor Liberman warned on Wednesday that Israel is “a step away from turning crime gangs into a locally made Nukhba (Hamas’s elite commando unit),” during a visit to the Galilee, focused on a surge in protection rackets and organized crime that he said is battering northern communities and small businesses.
Liberman, who leads Yisrael Beytenu, met with leaders of the civic group Ad Kan, and with business owners who say they have been targeted by extortion. He said his party will demand control of the National Security Ministry in the next government to confront the wave of criminal violence.
“We will deal with these problems at the root and change the situation,” Liberman said. “This requires legislative changes, the establishment of a court dedicated to organized crime, the involvement of the Shin Bet and special units alongside advanced technologies. This cannot continue; it threatens our very existence and harms the economy. We are committed to tackling it in depth.”
What residents describe on the ground
Participants at the meeting said that protection schemes, which once targeted farmers and large companies, have now spread to small businesses across the North. Yariv Ben-Ami, founder of Ad Kan and CEO of Hadasim, said residents feel “abandoned to terror,” arguing that demands for so-called insurance payments inflate prices for everyone and leave owners afraid to report crimes. In recent months, local volunteer initiatives that guard businesses have grown, including programs Ad Kan helped organize.
Ad Kan CEO Gidi Harari said the group is advancing measures that include tougher sentencing, legally recognizing protection rackets as terrorism, a compensation fund for victims, and clarifying insurers’ liability when threats are made, such as Molotov cocktails placed at gates even without fire damage.
Metula Local Council head David Azoulay added that the municipality is enforcing a zero-tolerance policy toward contractors who capitulate to extortion. “If I discover a contractor is paying protection, the work will be halted immediately,” he said.
Context, debate, and politics
Police and research bodies say the epicenter of lethal violence remains within Arab society, driven by organized criminal networks and illegal weapons, with ripple effects that include extortion, arson, and debt enforcement.
Authorities and courts have begun stiffening penalties, while Knesset committees discuss steps to curb crime, including tighter action against illegal firearms and coordinated enforcement.
Liberman’s call to involve the Shin Bet reflects growing anxiety that criminal networks are undermining governance. Expanding the domestic intelligence agency’s role in civilian crime would require clear statutory limits and oversight to protect civil liberties.
Legal experts say one model under discussion is targeted, time-bound intelligence support to police task forces, combined with stronger prosecution and dedicated courts for complex cases.
Liberman’s comments also come as he seeks to position Yisrael Beytenu as a law-and-order alternative ahead of potential elections, linking the fight against organized crime to broader questions of state capacity and public security.