"Operation 'New Order' to restore governance in the Negev"

On November 24, 2025, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, accompagnied by IDF forces, raided the Bedouin town of Lakiya amid a sharp rise in violent crime across Negev Arab communities, prompting anger from residents and leaders. Police blocked the town’s entrance with concrete barriers as part of “Operation New Order,” aimed at curbing gangs and weapons trafficking. Arab mayors accused Ben Gvir of excluding them from key decision-making despite Arab towns suffering most of the bloodshed; over 230 Arab citizens have been killed this year in largely gang-related violence.

During the visit, Ben Gvir clashed with Ra’am MK Walid al-Hawashleh, calling himself the town’s “landlord” and telling the MK “out” in Arabic—remarks that residents and leaders condemned as racist provocations. Locals also resented the roadblocks, likening them to West Bank-style restrictions.

As part of the operation, police placed concrete barriers around Bedouin communities. Local leaders criticized the move as a political photo-op and argued that enforcement is needed at night, when armed activity peaks. This operation is experienced as a siege, a colletive punishement and an apartheid decision.

Earlier the same day, Beersheba’s mayor held an emergency meeting on the crime wave with Jewish regional leaders, but no Bedouin or Arab council heads were invited, deepening frustration. Bedouin leaders stressed the urgent need to remove army-grade weapons flooding their communities.

In Jerusalem, activists with the Standing Together movement staged a dramatic protest, covering themselves in fake blood to highlight what they described as the government’s abandonment of Arab society and failure to curb the violence.