Israel’s Top Arab Police Officer Resigns amid Investigation

FILE - Israeli police officer Gamal Hakroosh, center, speaks with journalists prior to a ceremony in Tel Aviv, Israel, April 13, 2016.  (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner, File)
FILE - Israeli police officer Gamal Hakroosh, center, speaks with journalists prior to a ceremony in Tel Aviv, Israel, April 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner, File)
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Israel’s Top Arab Police Officer Resigns amid Investigation

FILE - Israeli police officer Gamal Hakroosh, center, speaks with journalists prior to a ceremony in Tel Aviv, Israel, April 13, 2016.  (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner, File)
FILE - Israeli police officer Gamal Hakroosh, center, speaks with journalists prior to a ceremony in Tel Aviv, Israel, April 13, 2016. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner, File)

The highest-ranking Arab Muslim officer in Israel’s police force has resigned, according to a statement Monday — a week after a video emerged showing him tripping over the body of a stabbing victim as he left the scene of a crime in 2020.

Police said in a statement that Maj. Gen. Gamal Hakroosh tendered his resignation on Sunday, and that it would take effect Monday, The Associated Press reported.

Hakroosh, 64, was appointed deputy commissioner in 2016 to lead outreach efforts to Israel’s Arab minority, a historic appointment. Last week, security camera footage obtained by Israel’s Haaretz newspaper showed Hakroosh leaving the scene of a crime in 2020.

He had gone to a factory office in his hometown of Kfar Qana on business, when a fight broke out between two men, one of whom stabbed the other in the chest.

The security camera footage shows Hakroosh walking down a stairwell and tripping over the stabbed man, likely by accident, before heading out the door. He ignored the assailant, who was barricaded in another room, and did not provide first aid to the stabbed victim, Haaretz said.

Public Security Minister Omer Barlev, who is in charge of the police, thanked Hakroosh for his 44 years of service and said his resignation was appropriate. He said the police team investigating the incident would continue its work.

Israel’s current government, the first to include an Arab party, has redoubled efforts to fight crime in the community.

Violent crime within the community has soared in recent years, fueled by organized crime and family feuds. Arab citizens make up around 20% of Israel’s 9.4 million people and face discrimination, with community leaders accusing authorities of ignoring crime in their communities. At the same time, distrust of Israeli police has hindered cooperation.

At least 125 Arabs were killed in attacks in 2021, making it the deadliest year on record, according to the Abraham Initiatives, a nonprofit that promotes Jewish-Arab coexistence.



After US Exemption, UN Says More Significant Syria Sanctions Work Needed

A general view shows Damascus from Mount Qasioun, after one month since the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
A general view shows Damascus from Mount Qasioun, after one month since the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
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After US Exemption, UN Says More Significant Syria Sanctions Work Needed

A general view shows Damascus from Mount Qasioun, after one month since the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
A general view shows Damascus from Mount Qasioun, after one month since the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)

A US sanctions exemption for transactions with governing institutions in Syria is welcome, but "much more significant work ... will inevitably be necessary," the UN special envoy on Syria, Geir Pedersen, told the Security Council on Wednesday.

After 13 years of civil war, Syria's President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in a lightening offensive by opposition forces led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group a month ago.

The US, Britain, the European Union and others imposed tough sanctions on Syria after a crackdown by Assad on pro-democracy protests in 2011 that spiraled into war. But the new reality in Syria has been further complicated by sanctions on HTS - and some leaders - for its days as an al-Qaeda affiliate.

"I welcome the recent issuance of a new temporary General License by the United States government. But much more significant work in fully addressing sanctions and designations will inevitably be necessary," Pedersen told the council.

The US on Monday issued a sanctions exemption, known as a general license, for transactions with governing institutions in Syria for six months in an effort to ease the flow of humanitarian assistance and allow some energy transactions.

"The United States welcomes positive messages from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, but will ultimately look for progress in actions, not words," deputy US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Camille Shea told the Security Council.

The foreign ministry in Damascus on Wednesday welcomed the US move and called for a full lifting of restrictions to support Syria's recovery.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said earlier on Wednesday that European Union sanctions on Syria that obstruct the delivery of humanitarian aid and hinder the country's recovery could be lifted swiftly.

Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia criticized the sanctions imposed on Syria by Washington and others, adding: "As a result, the Syrian economy is under extreme pressure and is not able to cope with the challenges facing the country." Russia was an Assad ally throughout the war.

'END THE SUFFERING'

Formerly known as Nusra Front, HTS was al-Qaeda's official wing in Syria until breaking ties in 2016. Along with unilateral measures, the group has also been on the UN Security Council al-Qaeda and ISIS sanctions list for more than a decade, subjected to a global assets freeze and arms embargo.

There are no UN sanctions on Syria over the civil war.

Syria's UN Ambassador Koussay Aldahhak was appointed a year ago by Assad's government but told the council on Wednesday that he was speaking for the caretaker authorities.

"It is high time to end the suffering, to enable Syrians to live in security and prosperity, to live a dignified life in their country, to build a better future for their country," Aldahhak said.

"For this reason, we call upon the United Nations and its member states to immediately and fully lift the unilateral coercive measures to provide the necessary financing to meet humanitarian needs and recover basic services," he said.

Pedersen said he is seeking to work with the caretaker authorities in Syria "on how the nascent and important ideas and steps so far articulated and initiated could be developed towards a credible and inclusive political transition."

Pedersen said attacks on Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity must stop, specifically calling out Israel.

As Assad's government crumbled towards the end of last year, Israel launched a series of strikes against Syrian military infrastructure and weapons manufacturing sites to prevent them falling into the hands of enemies.

"Reports of the IDF using live ammunition against civilians, displacement and destruction of civilian infrastructure are also very worrying," Pedersen said. "Such violations, along with Israeli airstrikes in other parts of Syria – reported even last week in Aleppo – could further jeopardize the prospects for an orderly political transition."