Israeli Arab voters desperate over rising crime, police attitudes
Can Arab politician Mansour Abbas harness public anger against crime to the extent that his Raam party can pass the Knesset threshold and win four seats?
Demonstrations against crime in Israeli Arab towns and villages continue. Many people say police and authorities are doing little to cope with a phenomenon that has cost the lives of many in recent years.
An especially large demonstration took place Feb. 26 in the town of Umm al-Fahm. During that protest, altercations broke out between demonstrators and police. The police reaction led to the wounding of Mayor Samir Mahamid, Arab Knesset member Youssef Jabareen and 35 others. Demonstrators then accused police of using excessive force against them, including the use of tear gas, rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades.
On March 5, another demonstration was organized in Umm al-Fahm. In light of the many protesters expected, police announced the closure of Route 65 to vehicles. Police said they were taking this step to enable all protesters to arrive at the site designated for the demonstration. And indeed, many people arrived, including quite a few Jewish participants who came to express solidarity with the crisis of the Arab public in the fight against violence and crime. In all, over 10,000 people participated in the protest.
But the Arab community hasn’t stopped bleeding. On March 9, there were three shootings in the towns of Jaljulya, Sakhnin and Jedadya-Makr. Mohammed Abed Alrazik Adas, a 14-year-old boy, was shot dead, and a 12-year-old boy was severely injured in the shooting in Jaljulya, which took place a few dozen meters from a police post. The municipality of Jaljulya called a general strike and an emergency meeting for March 10.
