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Memorial day for Israeli Arabs marred by violent outbreaks Eleven policemen and border policemen, including two senior officers, were injured in stone-throwing riots in Nazareth and Umm el-Fahm on Monday in riots that erupted following parades and rallies to commemorate the 13 Israeli Arabs killed in clashes last October. Police arrested 26 people suspected of participating in the disturbances, which marred what had been intended as a day of dignity to mark the first anniversary of the events. There were no reports of any casualties among the rioters as a result of police actions initiated after Israeli Arab leaders and religious dignitaries failed to bring the hotheads under control. A municipality warden in Nazareth, however, was reported to have suffered minor head injuries after being struck by a rock while he and other civic leaders made repeated efforts to persuade them to desist. Police did not resort to rubber bullets or live fire. Only a few tear gas canisters were fired, despite the severity of the incidents. Senior police officers praised the involvement of Arab leaders in trying to forestall violence and later restore calm. It appeared initially that the day would pass peacefully. The monitoring committee, composed of Arab MKs, council heads, and prominent public figures, had earlier declared a general strike to mark the events of last October in which 13 Arabs were killed in clashes with police and the security forces. Although shops in Acre's Old City remained open and workers left home for their jobs as usual, most people apparently observed the strike, which included the closure of all schools and kindergartens, except special education. Memorial parades and rallies were held in all places where fatalities occurred. Tens of thousands of people holding photographs of those killed participated in the marches and memorial services, at which bereaved parents spoke. Some of the marchers raised Palestinian flags alongside black flags of mourning, and others placards denouncing 'Israeli aggression' against the Palestinians and calling for full equality for Israel's Arab citizens. A minute's silence in memory of those killed in the clashes was observed at noon. The crowds began to disperse after the ceremonies, which were also marked by the unveiling of monuments to commemorate those killed. The first hint of trouble occurred in Nazareth shortly after 12:30, when 60-80 people, mostly youths, began to converge on the police station. They started throwing stones, bottles, metal bars, and other objects into the compound. There was a report that at least one rioter tried to scale the wall but was forced back. The rioters also overturned trash bins, set them afire and damaged a post office. Asst.-Cmdr. Dov Lutzky, head of the Ammakim district, said police did not respond for nearly three hours to enable civic leaders to try to restore calm. Their efforts failed, and when firebombs began being thrown into the compound, Lutzky said he gave orders for the police to respond; 21 suspects were arrested. Lutzky said the arrests appeared to end the disturbances, which lasted over six hours. There were no reports of casualties among the police or the rioters. Despite the incidents, Lutzky praised the cooperation of leaders of the Arab community prior to the memorial events and their involvement in trying to prevent any disturbances. The disturbances were confined to Nazareth and Umm el-Fahm, where disturbances involving about 300 people broke out shortly after they started in Nazareth. The rioters, most with their faces masked, began congregating near the junction at the entrance to the city and started throwing stones and rocks at vehicles travelling along the Wadi Ara highway. Two buses and several cars had their windows damaged. Police said there were no reports of casualties. A combined force of police and border police moved in quickly and began to drive the stone-throwers away from the junction. Arab leaders, including MK Hashem Mahameed and former Umm el-Fahm mayor Sheikh Raed Salah, head of the northern faction of the Islamic Movement, tried in vain to quell the disturbances. The road was closed for a short period before the police succeeded in pushing the rioters away. During the course of the disturbances, 11 policemen and border policemen were injured. At one stage, rioters also threw firecrackers, resulting in false reports that police had opened fire on demonstrators. Five suspected rioters were arrested and police also detained some members of the Jewish-Arab Ta'ayush organization, which promotes peace and equality for Arab citizens, after they staged a demonstration at the junction. Nineteen suspects, four of them adults, were brought to Nazareth Magistrate's Court last night for remand hearings, and two juveniles arrested at the Umm el-Fahm junction were brought before Haifa Magistrate's Court. Police said more arrests are likely.
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