Dimona Mayor on Shin Bet Chief's Warning: "There's a Ticking Bomb Here, a Real One"

Dimona Mayor Benny Biton responds to Shin Bet chief David Zini's warning about the establishment of armed battalions in the Bedouin diaspora in the Negev. Biton calls for convening Negev local authority heads and sharing intelligence information with them, arguing that this is a 'ticking bomb' requiring a combined response from police, Shin Bet, and local authorities.

Dimona Mayor Benny Biton responded this morning (Thursday) to Shin Bet chief David Zini's warning about attempts to establish armed battalions in the Bedouin diaspora in the Negev. In an interview with the ynet studio, Biton called for convening Negev local authority heads and sharing the intelligence information on which the warning is based. According to him, local authority heads have warned over the years about arms smuggling and other problems in the Negev, and they should not be left out of the picture. Biton emphasized that he has received many inquiries from residents and leaders in the Negev, and argued that 'you can't just throw out a statement like that and say here comes the next October 7th, and you can't defame the entire Bedouin sector.' He called for a combination of economic enforcement, drug treatment, employment, and house demolitions, noting that 'there's a ticking bomb here, a real one.' Biton announced that he would contact Zini and raise the issue at the planned meeting with the prime minister next week.