The Shin Bet is set to take on the fight against killings in Israel’s Arab community, which have skyrocketed in recent years amid a proliferation of guns, a rise in organized crime, and a failure of enforcement by police, according to Friday reports.

Channels 12 and 13 both reported Friday night that Shin Bet chief David Zini has agreed to help the overwhelmed police tackle the scourge of Arab murders, subject to government funding.

According to the reports, the surge in funding is expected to stand at around NIS 1-1.3 billion ($330-400 million).

Former Shin Bet head Ronen Bar had resisted the government’s pressure to involve the internal security agency in the fight against deadly Arab crime, warning that its interference in investigations of citizens in criminal matters could be a slippery slope. The Shin Bet is largely focused on matters of national security, not internal criminal affairs.

Zini’s position has been more willing, according to the two outlets.

Channel 13 reported that a separate division will be formed within the Shin Bet, which will have more intrusive tools than those available to police, including the installation of spyware, wiretapping, and other more aggressive surveillance methods.

“We have not yet formulated what the department will........

© The Times of Israel