Attorney Rada Jabar was having a hard time hiding his emotions. As he went over events in the Arab sector during the past few days, he was caught up in the sense of desperation over the emerging crisis between Jews and Arabs. “I would dare say that we are reaching the lowest point ever in the relationship between Jewish society and Arab society,” he told Al-Monitor. As head of the Arab Center for a Safe Society, based in the city of Taibe, he has been following the outburst of rage that erupted in the Arab sector after it learned that young Jews were behind the murder of Mohammed Abu Khdeir, a young Palestinian from Shuafat.
When Jabar left his home that day, he encountered hundreds of young Arabs from his town converging on the main highway with sticks and rocks. Images raced through his mind of similar scenes from the riots of October 2000, immediately after the second intifada erupted. Some 13 Arab demonstrators were killed in those riots, which are still considered the lowest point in the relationship between Jews and Arabs in Israel.
