Mafia Crime Wave in Israel Drives Christians From Nazareth

The centuries-old Christian population in the holy city of Nazareth is slowly disappearing because of a mafia crime wave sweeping northern Israel.

Mafia gang members reportedly harass Christian store owners in the northern Israeli city and demand the equivalent of thousands of pounds in protection money.

Their numbers are reported to have grown since the outbreak of the Gaza war despite the deployment of Shin Bet, the Israeli internal security agency, last year and extra police patrols.

“In Nazareth, the mafia will shoot at the stores, then tell them they need ‘chawa’ [protection]. It’s like the Wild West,” said Peter Roshrash, a senior police inspector who has covered Nazareth for decades. . .

Although by 1948 – the year of Israel’s independence war – the majority of Nazarenes were Christian, today, they comprise only 20 per cent. (Read more from “Mafia Crime Wave in Israel Drives Christians From Nazareth” HERE)

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