Joint List Party Chairman MK Ayman Odeh is set to meet with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York on Thursday, according to a statement by Odeh's office on Wednesday.
The statement noted that the purpose of the meeting will be the ongoing Arab crime wave in Israel, with Odeh expected to relay the need for international attention to the crisis.
“The Israeli government will close all doors to us in the fight against crime," said Odeh. "We will do everything to ensure that the issue is also on the international community’s agenda.”
Odeh emphasized that not nearly enough has been done to address the issue, despite multiple meetings with Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as protests and hunger strikes.
"Our demands are so basic: to live without criminal organizations and without illegal weapons," he said. "Is there a more justified demand than that?"
"We will continue to fight in every arena, in Israel and abroad, until we eradicate crime and ensure personal security for every citizen," Odeh concluded.
NIS 500 million allocated to fight Arab crime wave
Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs announced on Monday that the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) would receive an allocation of NIS 500 million to use in the fight against Arab crime.
The government is set to approve the decision at a cabinet meeting on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Israel Police said on Tuesday they had confiscated 30 vehicles belonging to individuals who had accumulated tax-related debts worth tens of millions of shekels, in an effort to "cut off the economic oxygen supply of those who perpetrate crime on Arab streets."
Anna Barsky, Alon Hachmon, and Maya Zanger-Nadis contributed to this report.