Demonstrators in Israeli-Arab towns commemorate 21 years since October Riots

• Published date: 02 October 2021
• Author: ELIAV BREUER
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

The riots were a series of protests in Arab cities and towns in northern Israel that broke out days after then-defense minister Ariel Sharon's ascent to the Temple Mount and the outbreak of the Second Intifada. The protests quickly escalated into rioting by Israeli Arabs throughout the country and counter-rioting by Israeli Jews. During the riots, 13 Arabs – 12 Israeli-Arabs and one Palestinian from the Gaza Strip who had been demonstrating in Israel – were killed by the police.

The demonstration, organized by the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Affairs, also called for lives devoid of crime for Israel's Arab citizens, as the 100th person from the Israeli-Arab community was killed for crime-related reasons on Friday night.

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Deputy Knesset Speaker and Joint List MK Ahmad Tibi stated on Saturday morning that six Joint List MKs would be participating in the event marking 21 years since the riots.

"The demonstration will take place in the shadow of the 100 people murdered this year [in the Arab sector] and the more than 1,600 killed since October 2000," his statement read.

Joining him was MK Ofer Cassif of the Joint List's Hadash faction, who commented on the event via Twitter, saying that "the Israel Police continue to see Arab citizens as enemies... we will not allow the Police to engage in political repression instead of protecting human lives."

The Ra'am Party announced on Thursday that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had canceled a visit to Umm el-Fahm, which he had scheduled for Friday, at the party's request due to a planned commemoration of the "martyrs" of the October 2000 riots.

"Tomorrow, Friday, is memorial day to the Jerusalem and al-Aqsa Mosque riots," Ra'am said in a statement in Arabic, referring to October 2000.

"This is a very important national event in the history of the Arab community and Umm el-Fahm," the party announced. "In order to respect this important memory and the memory of the martyrs, and in order to concentrate efforts in a proper manner – both in coping with...