As unsolved murders mount in Israel’s Arab areas, a team in the city of Nazareth has developed an app it says can combat violent crime.
One person has been killed on average every three days this year within the Arab-Israeli community or among Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem.
In one of the latest outbursts of violence, on Monday one person was shot dead and several others wounded at a wedding in the central city of Tayibe.
Waging a war against organised crime is a must, but it is not enough
Ofer Cassif,
legislator
“It’s traumatic,” said Khalil Jaraisy, a civil engineering student from Nazareth. He was walking to his local bakery recently when he heard gunshots.
“I directly turned around and went home,” he said. “I started to think, let’s find a solution. A post on Facebook or Instagram is not enough.”
Mr Jaraisy instead joined friends this month at a hackathon at which they developed an app to track the killings.
The Crime Around app is designed to enable witnesses to anonymously log violence, which is marked on a map while a notification is sent to people nearby. The team aims to link the app to the emergency services, with the intention of improving the response time and conviction rate.
About a fifth of murder cases in the Arab community last year have been solved, according to the Abraham Initiatives.
Thabet Abu Rass, co-director of the organisation, which promotes coexistence, pointed to a severe lack of trust among residents.
“The major reason is that the police are doing almost nothing in terms of combating crime and violence,” he said.
“We are looking for police to serve the people as a civil service, just like doctors or social workers.”
The Abraham Initiatives has recorded 93 murders of Arabs this year, a pace set to surpass the 97 murders last year and the 89 reported in 2019.
A police representative was not available to comment on the violence when contacted by The National.
The app creators believe that by providing an anonymous service, witnesses who are usually wary of going to the authorities will come forward.
While evidence provided through the app may not stand up in court, Mr Jaraisy said it could support investigators and inform police of where and when more patrols are needed.
Revital Duek, co-chief executive of tech company Tsofen, which hosted the hackathon, said the app could prove useful for local authorities.
“It looked great, they thought of all the components,” said Ms Duek, whose non-profit organisation focuses on developing technology among in Israel’s Arab community.
The designers will need to raise money, both to develop the app and for advertising to ensure widespread usage.
More investment in the tech industry could bring employment to Arab areas, where the jobless rate is higher than in Jewish-majority areas, Ms Duek said.
“We believe this is one of the tools or the channels to improve the Arab municipalities’ situation,” she said.
Bennett’s pledge on crime
Israel’s ruling coalition, which for the first time includes an Arab party, has vowed to crack down on the killers.
“My government is determined to take action and wage an unceasing, constant and persistent fight, with full force, against crime and violence in the Arab sector,” prime minister Naftali Bennett said last month.
He said 60 per cent of crimes nationwide take place within the Arab community, which makes up 20 per cent of the population.
Mr Bennett has blamed “years of neglect” for the current crisis, although his predecessor Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly made similar promises to bring the crime rate down.
Funding to combat violence has been earmarked in the national budget, which is due for approval in November.
Call for broader support
Ofer Cassif, a legislator with the Arab-led Joint List, said the root causes of crime must also be addressed.
“Collecting the arms and waging a war against organised crime is a must, but it is not enough,” he said.
Access to housing, green spaces, education and jobs are some of the areas he believes must be improved.
Aware of the plans to launch an app, Mr Cassif lamented residents having to step in and do the authorities’ work.
“In no democratic state or normal state the police ask the citizens to be the ones who act against … the criminals,” he said. “This is the state’s obligation towards their citizens.”
But with no end to the spate of killings, the Nazareth team believes it can help reduce the fear afflicting their community.
“It’s the ultimate goal to reduce the murders,” said Mr Jaraisy. “To feel safer, because it’s our right.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: nine-speed
Power: 542bhp
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Price: Dh848,000
On sale: now
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
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Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
Company%20profile
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Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
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Key facilities
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- Premier League-standard football pitch
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- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
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- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Company%20profile
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TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
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MATCH INFO
Jersey 147 (20 overs)
UAE 112 (19.2 overs)
Jersey win by 35 runs
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
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Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers Henderson, Johnstone, Pickford, Ramsdale
Defenders Alexander-Arnold, Chilwell, Coady, Godfrey, James, Maguire, Mings, Shaw, Stones, Trippier, Walker, White
Midfielders Bellingham, Henderson, Lingard, Mount, Phillips, Rice, Ward-Prowse
Forwards Calvert-Lewin, Foden, Grealish, Greenwood, Kane, Rashford, Saka, Sancho, Sterling, Watkins
Quick facts on cancer
- Cancer is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, after cardiovascular diseases
- About one in five men and one in six women will develop cancer in their lifetime
- By 2040, global cancer cases are on track to reach 30 million
- 70 per cent of cancer deaths occur in low and middle-income countries
- This rate is expected to increase to 75 per cent by 2030
- At least one third of common cancers are preventable
- Genetic mutations play a role in 5 per cent to 10 per cent of cancers
- Up to 3.7 million lives could be saved annually by implementing the right health
strategies
- The total annual economic cost of cancer is $1.16 trillion
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Naga
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