Israel's large Arab
minority closed shops and schools from the northern Galilee to
the southern Negev desert on Tuesday as part of a day-long
strike to protest against the death of two Arab men in incidents
involving Israeli police.
Sami al-Jaar, 20, was shot dead by officers during a drugs
raid which triggered protests in the southern town of Rahat on
Thursday. Police have not said why Jaar, who was unarmed, was
shot, other than that he took part in "riots".
"Police were in danger and they opened fire," said police
spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.
At Jaar's funeral on Sunday, 45-year-old Sami Zayadna died
as police fired tear gas and rubber bullets towards thousands of
angry mourners. Locals said Zayadna died of gas inhalation and
hailed him as a "martyr". Police said he had a heart attack. The
results of an autopsy are expected soon.
Tensions between Israel's police and the Arab community,
which at 1.7 million people accounts for 20 percent of the
population, have surged since a 22-year-old Arab man was shot
dead in the Galilee last November moments after banging on the
window of a police vehicle.
Tuesday's strike is a relatively rare occurrence and
represents a show of unity among the Arab population, which
frequently complains of discrimination.
Israel's three main Arab parties, divided in the past, plan
to run on a joint list in elections on March 17. Despite that
coordination, polls indicate they will still win only around 11
seats in the 120-member Knesset, as in the past.
But politicians are buoyed by the growing unity.
"Every day we're stronger. A few years ago if a citizen were
killed here there wouldn't be this kind of movement," Arab
Knesset member Jamal Zahalka told Reuters.
"We're more inspired, the Arabs of the Negev are bound more
closely to those of the Galilee and the north. We're more united
and able to defend ourselves," he said.
Since the deaths, police have pulled out of Rahat. Squad
cars and a water cannon truck idled outside its main gate, where
red graffiti reading "Our blood isn't cheap!" is scrawled.
Police deny any excessive use of force in dealing with Arabs
and point to the diversity in Israeli society, where Arabic is
an official language and an Arab serves on the Supreme Court.
Despite that, poverty rates and joblessness among the Arab
population are far higher than the Israeli average.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who leads a
right-wing government, has threatened to revoke the citizenship
of anyone who calls for Israel's destruction. Others in his
government have called for a "loyalty test" for Arab citizens,
hardening the sense of isolation.
"Because the Jewish street has become more racist toward
us, the police have too," said Rahat's deputy mayor, Alaa Abu
Mudghaim. "It's ultimately a failure of the Israeli leadership."
REUTERS