After slaying, Arabs blame apathetic police in Israel
Residents of an Arab town in Israel say they need better police protection after a local businessman was shot to death.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Protests continue in the Arab city of Baqa al-Gharbiyye in northern Israel, with citizens accusing Israeli police of neglecting their duty to protect citizens there. Demonstrations began Aug. 11 when one or more unidentified assailants killed local businessman Ahmad Athamneh, 40, and wounded another man.
Since Athamneh’s shooting, residents demonstrated for the third time Aug. 17 in front of a mosque to protest the prevalence of crime in their city. The protesters demanded that the Israeli police do their job: Arrest the perpetrators and fight violence in the Arab community.
The demonstrations are part of a series of activities approved by the city government at its Aug. 17 emergency meeting. During the meeting, attended by community and city committee members, participants declared a general strike on the same day, with all of the city's shops, banks and post offices closing their doors.
After the meeting, the city issued a statement: “The activities to counter the scourge of violence will continue to take place, as several escalatory steps will be taken against criminality and the security services’ failure in our Arab community.”
