תיעוד: מהומות באום אל פאחם

Thousands of Arabs and Jews demonstrated on Friday in the city of Umm al-Fahm in protest of the authorities' failure in dealing the violence and crime in Arab society.

During the demonstration, which included rioting and rock-throwing, MK Mansour Abbas of the Ra’am party was attacked by protesters.

Hundreds of demonstrators tried to prevent Abbas from taking part in the demonstration, cursing him and yelling at him, among other things, "Get out of here, you traitor."

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is known to have collaborated with Abbas’ Ra’am party on issues that are important to Arab Israelis in exchange for ensuring Ra’am’s support for Netanyahu for Prime Minister in the upcoming elections.

Abbas recently announced that he would split from the predominantly Arab Joint List and run separately with Ra’am.

A senior official in the Ra’am party told Israel Hayom, "Senior figures in the Balad party incited against Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas and called for him to be harmed. It could have ended in disaster. This is violent and ugly behavior. Shame and disgrace that this is the example they set for the Arab public."

An estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people took part in Friday’s protest, including MKs from the Joint List and Meretz, activists from left-wing organizations and public representatives from the Arab sector. Some of the participants carried Palestine Liberation Organization flags.

Joint List chairman MK Ayman Odeh took part in the demonstration and criticized the police for closing nearby roads. "The police are preventing people from arriving in Umm al-Fahm because they are scared of the demonstrators and the criminal organizations. We will continue to fight to live with dignity and defeat violence and crime."

אלימות בהפגנה באום אל פאחם

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)