Thousands protest against violence in Palestinian-Israeli city

Schoolchildren in the Palestinian city Umm al-Fahm in northern Israel went on strike on Monday to protest against violence in their communities.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab

01 October, 2019

Almost all residents of of Umm al-Fahm in northern Israel are Palestinian [NurPhoto/Getty]

Palestinian residents of a northern Israeli city took part in protests for a third day on Monday over violence and perceived police inaction.

Schoolchildren and teachers in Umm al-Fahm joined the strike, Haaretz reported, and marched on the city's main police station with thousands of others.

The protest called on the Israeli police to address the issue of violence within the Palestinian community.

Several hundred residents also took to the streets in another northern Israeli town, Eilabun, in a protest organised by several local women.

"It was important for us to speak out against the violence raging in the streets," Joumana Moallem told Haaretz.

"Violence in Arab society is a horrific plague and today's demonstration is a symbol of an inspiring civil struggle," said Ayman Odeh, the leader of a coalition of mainly Arab-majority political parties in Israel.

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"Arab citizens are standing up to condemn the violence, but it is the Israeli police's role to cut it off at the source," the Joint List chairman said.

"This will happen when the body, which has been entrusted with public safety, treats us as equal citizens and not as enemies."

The protests in Umm al-Fahm began after a resident was shot dead over the weekend, Haaretz reported.

Ten days earlier, a similar incident occured in a nearby town.

According to The Times of Israel, over 60 Palestinian-Israelis have been the victim of murder since the start of 2019.

Palestinian-Israelis are descendants of Palestinians who remained in their towns and villages in 1948, when Zionist militias expelled the vast majority of Palestinians from what would became Israel.

They make up roughly 21 percent of the Israeli population.

Agencies contributed to this report.

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