While Jewish children have off from school this week because of the Sukkot holiday, students in the Arab sector are supposed to be in class.
However, children in Sakhnin did not show up for their studies on Thursday – in commemoration of the deaths of 13 Israeli Arabs during the second intifada.
In 2000, as Arabs in Judea and Samaria went on an unprecedented terror campaign against Israelis, residents of Sakhnin and other Arab towns and villages in northern Israel took to the streets to protest efforts by Israeli security forces to put down the riots and keep Israelis safe.
Residents blocked highways and threw stones at Israeli drivers, forcing the closure of major highways in northern Israel. Police attempted to restore order, and found themselves the victims of rock-throwing and firebomb attacks.
In response, police fired at rioters, killing 13 of them. One Israeli civilian, Bachor Jann, from Rishon LeZion, was killed when Arab rioters threw a boulder at his vehicle near the Arab village of Jisr az-Zarqa. Rioting also spilled into Jewish neighborhoods in Upper Nazareth, Petach Tikvah, and Bat Yam.
The incidents occurred during the first two weeks of October, 2000, and the Arab sector commemorates the events on October 15 each year. The school strike Thursday is the first in a series of events that will take place in the coming weeks.
Marches and protests will also take place in Sakhnin and other towns on Thursday and throughout the weekend.