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Mar. 4, 2021
Last Friday, just as I did on the previous six Fridays, I demonstrated outside the police station at the entrance to Umm al-Fahm, the town where I was born and still live. The demonstration was quiet and orderly. But due to a deliberate decision by the police, brutal violence began – rubber bullets, stun grenades and skunk water were fired in every direction. Dozens were wounded, including the mayor, Dr. Samir Mahameed, and me.
But the story isn’t that the town’s elected leader was shot at; this isn’t the first time something like that has happened. The real story is the more than 20 Arabs who have been murdered over the last two months. The story is Mohand Mahameed, an Umm al-Fahm resident who was hospitalized due to police violence, and Ahmed Hijazi, who was shot and killed by the police in Tamra last month.
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On Saturday, the Arab mayors met to discuss their concerns, concluding that immediate steps to fight organized crime and promote and fund various anti-violence programs must be introduced. According to sources on the council, some of the demands also involve support for municipalities, but most of the emphasis is on practical plans that will lead to a greater sense of personal security in Arab communities.
The meeting with Netanyahu was finalized on Wednesday, while anger and frustration on the part of the mayors is said to have grown after a resident of Umm al-Fahm was shot to death on Friday.