Arab Israeli students walk out of school to protest wave of violence

Students in the northern Arab city of Umm al-Fahm left school on Monday to protest ongoing violence in their city and in the Arab community in Israel.

In the third such demonstration in the city in recent days, students and other community members, including teachers and parents, bore signs protesting the violence and marched on Umm al-Fahm’s police station, Haaretz reported.

Demonstrators also met with the father of a recent murder victim, according to Channel 12 news. The protests are expected to continue and the students are hoping that youth from other communities join.

Over 60 Arab Israelis have been murdered since the start of 2019.

On Friday hundreds protested in the Wadi Ara area demanding the closure of the police station in Umm al-Fahm, saying police were not doing enough to confront violence in their communities.

On September 20, four Arab Israelis were murdered within hours of each other. Two days later, a series of brutal crimes left one dead and several seriously injured.

The violence rocked Israel’s Arab minority and prompted its political representatives to promise to make the problem a primary issue. Joint List leader Ayman Odeh vowed that tackling crime in Arab Israeli communities would be his main priority in the new Knesset.

“The elections are over but the plague of crime in the Arab community continues. Four deaths in two days,” he tweeted. “This is the first issue we will address. We have no choice but to bring security back to the streets and live life in a society without firearms.”