Kabul, Israel | Oct. 21, 2026, 1:13 p.m. ET | 5 min read

Ask people here in Kabul, an Arab town of about 13,000 residents in northern Israel, about their quality of life, and one thing tops the list: crime.

“It’s dangerous to come home at night, to go out at night,” says Najwan Taha, who’s in her 30s and works with Betna, an Arab youth group in Israel.

The town has seen several homicides this year. Organized-crime groups shake down local businesses for khawa – protection money in Arabic. Officers from the Israel Police are nowhere to be seen.

And it’s not just in Kabul.

Many Palestinian citizens of Israel feel that their government has failed to address skyrocketing violent crime in Arab communities. Polls show that this issue, as it has been now for several years, is their top concern ahead of national elections on Oct. 27.

Ilan Ben Zion

Farah Ayashe (left) and Rama Murad, with the Betna youth group, hand out flyers encouraging people to vote in the Israeli elections, in Kabul, Israel, Oct.…