The south of Israel is known to suffer from extortion by its Bedouin population. But state-backed Kan news reporter Yedidya Grossman was shocked to hear that the phenomenon has also reached Jerusalem.
In a bombshell report, Grossman interviewed Yossi Mordechai, the head of the cabinet of one of Jerusalem councilman Yehuda Ben Yosef, the head of the entrepreneurial advancement in the Holy City. Mordechai revealed that in the middle of Jerusalem, store owners are being extorted by local Arabs for protection money.
“Arab teenagers come in the middle of the night and break windows, store displays. They threaten business owners and are already demanding protection payments.”
The Arabs promise not to vandalize and destroy the business if a certain sum of money is paid to them. There are at least fifteen confirmed cases including in the area of Mamila, the city center and the Nachalat Shiva neighborhoods of the capital.
Councilman Aryeh King reacted to the report tweeting: “I haven’t heard of any protection demands…if it’s true, it’s very severe.
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