General Security Service (Shabak) releases details of the arrest of the Bedouin millionaire Yakub Abu-Alkiyan on suspicion of treason. Regavim: Rising extremism in Israeli Bedouin society is undeniable.

Meir Deutsch, Director General of Regavim: “The fact that Abu-Alkiyan, a millionaire with extensive property and business holdings who maintains close ties with leaders of Israel’s economy, passed sensitive security information to Iranian operatives proves that the rising tide of nationalism in Israel’s Bedouin sector is not connected to often-heard complaints of poverty or discrimination. This very real and very serious developing trend is an expression of radical currents that are re-shaping the Bedouin community in the Negev. Israel is now paying the price for years of denial and wishful thinking. The government must face up to reality – and there’s not a moment to waste.”

Attached: Photo of Yakub Abu-Alkiyan’s home in Hura. Credit: Regavim