Israel’s National Security Committee, chaired by MK Tzvika Foghel of the Otzma Yehudit party, convened on Wednesday in response to a motion for a quick debate on the topic of “Weekend of gunfire in Ramla.”

The motion was submitted by MKs Tzvi Yedidia Sukkot (Religious Zionism), Ariel Kallner (Likud), Yitzhak Pindrus (United Torah Judaism), Evgeny Sova (Yisrael Beitenu), Matan Kahana (National Unity Party), Erez Malul (Shas), Limor Sonn Har Melech (Otzma Yehudit) and Moshe Turpaz (Yesh Atid).

The explanatory notes to the motion state that in the recent period, a worrying and grave increase has taken place in the number of shooting incidents in the central Israeli city of Ramla, in such a way that endangers and harms the lives of the residents and their daily routine.

Committee Chair MK Foghel said at the start of the meeting that “Ramla is a city that is showing a noteworthy development trend. One of its salient characteristics is the diverse composition of its residents. The city has known in the past clan wars that were infamous throughout Israel, and it seems that in recent months, the gunfire and tension have returned to the city and disrupted its routine.”

Ramla was among the Israeli cities with large Arab populations in which Arab residents rioted in May 2021, amid Israeli airstrikes in Gaza in response to hundreds of rockets being fired by Gaza terrorists at civilian populations in central and southern Israel.

“The purpose of the debate is to recommend to the relevant agencies actions that will reduce the risk to the lives of the residents of Ramla and its environs. The committee’s role is to ensure the personal security of the State of Israel’s residents everywhere, and we will do whatever we can to achieve this,” Foghel added.

MK Sukkot said he had gone this week to Ramla and visited the house of a resident who last week experienced “a kind of pogrom.”

“People took over public land near his house with illegal construction, and they deliberately play deafening music there in order to force him out. There are people there who are doing everything possible to make the lives of the Jewish residents of Ramla miserable, including violence, harassment and creating a very harsh atmosphere, and no one enforces this,” Sukkot added.

“Weddings in the middle of the street, firecrackers, gunfire. All this happens all the time, and the residents feel that there’s no significant effort being made to seize the weapons and put an end to the problem.”

Residents of Ramla described the difficult daily reality in the city, saying that there were recurrent cases of gunfire and firecrackers in the neighborhoods, as well as harassment and vandalizing of the property of Jewish residents by their Arab neighbors.

The residents presented videos and recordings to illustrate their statements. Noam Glick, whose house was recently harmed, related, “When we moved into our current house, I wanted to shake my neighbor’s hand, and he immediately said that I would have no peace. Since then, our car’s tires have been punctured twice, and our door handle was broken so that we wouldn’t be able to get into the apartment.”

“I filed a complaint with the police. Last weekend we were on vacation out of the house. In the middle of the night I got a message that there was something going on, and I arrived at the spot. I found that our windows had been broken, grillwork was ripped out and air conditioners were pushed off the roof. The nearby synagogue was also damaged. A friend came to see what happened, and his car was completely vandalized and broken.

“The police were there and left, and they continued the pogrom. The yard next to the house where the things are happening belongs to the municipality, but over the years people took it over with illegal construction, and no one enforces this.”

Noam’s wife, Hodaya Glick, added, “My house was smashed and the people who did it walk around in my yard, continue to shout at me and threaten. How is it that none of them have been arrested? The case was closed two days ago.”