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Israeli Arab protests on riot anniversary pass quietly Israeli Arabs yesterday marked the anniversary of the October 2000 riots in which 13 Arab Israelis were killed with ceremonies, parades, and protest rallies. All the events passed peacefully. Police had reinforced their forces, particularly in the North, but kept their pledge to stay out of Arab villages. The Monitoring Committee of the Israeli Arab Leadership in turn kept its promise that the memorial events would take place in a dignified, democratic, and law-abiding fashion. The committee decided not to declare a general strike in the Arab sector; schools were open and most people went to work as usual. 'We were in close contact with local leaders in those communities were events took place to ensure adherence to the decisions,' committee spokesman Abed Inbitawi said. 'The Arab public has always shown a mature attitude, but this time events were much more organized and were held in accordance with the decisions made by the monitoring committee,' he said. Rallies and parades were held in Umm el-Fahm, where three squares were named in memory of residents killed in the clashes with police. In Jatt in the Triangle, a street was also named in memory of a local resident who was among the fatalities. Hundreds of people participated in the events there as well as in Sakhnin and Arrabe in the western Galilee; two from each town were killed. Commemorations were also held in Nazareth, where three residents were killed, and in nearby Kafr Kanna, where one resident died in the riots. A mass rally was held in Kafr Manda on Saturday; one man was killed there during the disturbances. Photographs of the 13 dead were held aloft during ceremonies led by bereaved families. Participants chanted slogans and held up placards denouncing the policies of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government. 'We not only commemorated those who were killed, but also voiced our protests against the government's policies towards our Palestinian brethren and their leaders in the occupied territories, as well as towards the Arab community in Israel,' Inbitawi said. Senior police officers expressed satisfaction that the memorial events had passed quietly. Internal Security Minister Uzi Landau and police Inspector-General Shlomo Aharonishky visited the Galilee yesterday and participated in a ceremony marking the promotion of Misgav station commander Motti Algeerat to Chief Superintendent. Landau said security forces have learned from the past and he hoped that Arab residents and their leaders had done the same, so that there would be no repetition of the October 2000 riots. Algeerat, who replaces former Misgav commander Supt. Guy Reif, has been credited by Arab residents for helping to restore their faith in the police. Several local leaders as well as a member of one of the bereaved families took part in the ceremony, in a sign of respect for Algeerat.
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