A deeply troubling story is unfolding across Israel, quietly spreading beneath the surface while few grasp how dangerous it has become. For years, a sophisticated Arab crime network has operated an extortion system with military discipline, targeting business owners who are left with an impossible choice: pay for “protection” or watch their livelihoods be torn apart.

The pattern is always the same. A polite phone call, a simple question: would the business like protection? When the owner declines, the caller returns, this time making clear that the offer is not optional. A third call follows, reciting the owner’s home address, the model of their car, and other private details meant to deliver a chilling message. If the business still refuses, the real pressure begins.

By the next morning, the warnings appear in unmistakable form. Vehicles vanish overnight. Machinery and tools are stolen. Storefronts are riddled with bullets. In some cases, grenades are left outside the entrance to drive the point home. Minutes later, the same caller checks back in, asking whether the owner is “still sure” they don’t need protection. And throughout it all, one rule is repeated: do not call the police, or the consequences will be worse.

This extortion cycle has devastated countless Israeli businesses, especially in mixed cities and the periphery. Many owners eventually surrender simply to survive another day. Others refuse and live under constant threat. What makes the situation even more alarming is that the police, despite years of warnings and rising violence, have not succeeded in stopping the networks. Criminal clans have grown stronger, richer, and more emboldened, operating with the confidence of groups that believe the state will not challenge them.

Now, people are beginning to whisper about taking matters into their own hands. That is the point where the danger becomes national. Israel cannot afford to let civilians resort to vigilantism, nor can it allow organized crime to run parallel systems of coercion and fear inside its borders.

Israel’s leadership must take urgent, coordinated action. The laws must be updated to reflect the reality of organized crime in 2025. The tax authority must be fully integrated into law-enforcement operations to freeze assets, expose hidden revenue streams, and dismantle the financial backbone of these criminal groups. And if necessary, Israel must bring in the Shin Bet, whose capabilities are built precisely for dismantling hostile networks that threaten national stability.

Waiting is the deadliest option. Israel is facing a growing challenge that could erupt into something far more explosive if left unchecked. The state must strike decisively—before extortion networks become a parallel power and before frustrated citizens feel forced to defend themselves without the law behind them.