The CEO of Shomer HaHadash described a wide-reaching system of economic and security-related crime, including theft of water, electricity, and fuel.
Yoel Zilberman, CEO and founder of Shomer HaHadash, has issued a stark warning about what he calls a severe loss of state control in the Negev and Galilee, claiming that criminal organizations no longer operate on the margins but now directly influence Israel’s economy, infrastructure, and personal security.
“Israel has been at war for almost three years, but while we fought at the borders, huge criminal industries were built inside the country,” Zilberman said in an interview with Maariv. “The low point we’ve reached in the Negev and Galilee is among the worst ever here.”
Zilberman described a wide-reaching system of economic and security-related crime. “There are massive water thefts, electricity thefts, fuel thefts, including jet fuel. These are costs Israeli citizens pay out of their own pockets.”
He added that alongside infrastructure theft, a large-scale drug industry operates within IDF firing zones. “Today, there are thousands of drug greenhouses in firing zones, a multibillion-shekel industry. All the water and infrastructure there is stolen from the state. It happens with full awareness.”
His primary criticism focused on the extortion phenomenon, which he says has become an integral part of Israel’s economic reality.
Portrait of Yoel Zilberman, CEO of HaShomer HaChadash. (credit: YOSSI ALONI/FLASH90)
“You need to understand how serious the problem is,” he said. “Every industrial zone in Israel pays extortion. Every infrastructure contractor in Israel pays extortion. Almost every major infrastructure project in the country includes protection payments.”
In some cases, these payments are even built into the bids. “The state has incorporated this into its tenders. They call it ‘security’ or other names, but in reality, it’s protection money. In many places, there’s no actual security, just a security company sign.”
A state within a state
Zilberman said this reality has already created an alternative power structure within Israel.
“A state within a state has emerged,” he said. “There’s another sovereignty inside the country. Criminal organizations have taken control of the state’s most significant national infrastructure.”
“Today, there are between 300,000 and 450,000 illegal weapons in Israel,” he added. “This is an existential threat. There are areas where it already feels like entire divisions of illegal weapons.”
According to him, “The state has basically accepted this. It said, ‘I can’t deal with this world, so I’ll pay.’ That’s what bringing protection fees into tenders means.”
Zilberman described the extortion industry as one of Israel’s largest economic sectors.
“It’s probably one of the most profitable industries in Israel. It might even be more profitable than high-tech. Nobody pays taxes on it.”
Asked why the state fails to confront the phenomenon, he replied: “The state has failed. It has no strategy, no plan. There are lots of headlines and slogans, but no one comes to actually make a change.”
While criticizing the government, Zilberman distinguished between political leadership and the police on the ground.
“The police are some of the best people in the country, with incredible dedication, but they’re faced with an event far bigger than themselves.”
He said the situation has worsened significantly since the outbreak of the war. “At first, there was a short calm for a few months, but then everything exploded again, much more forcefully. Today, the situation is catastrophic. The worst ever.”
He identified the loss of deterrence as a central issue.
“Criminals understand the state has given up. More young people enter this field because they see easy money with no real fear of the system.”
He concluded with a call for a broad national initiative:
“We need a national operation to collect illegal weapons, dismantle the extortion industry, and restore state control. These are measurable. We can know where we are today and where we want to go.”