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Clash in tense Israeli-Arab town | Clash in tense Israeli-Arab town |
(10 minutes later) | |
Israeli-Arab protesters have clashed with police as Jewish Israeli right-wingers marched in the majority-Arab town of Umm al-Fahm. | Israeli-Arab protesters have clashed with police as Jewish Israeli right-wingers marched in the majority-Arab town of Umm al-Fahm. |
Stun grenades and tear gas were used as hundreds of Israeli-Arab protesters threw stones, police said. | Stun grenades and tear gas were used as hundreds of Israeli-Arab protesters threw stones, police said. |
Residents of the town of 1.5 million Israeli- Arabs view the march highly provocative and vowed to stop it. | |
The High Court gave permission for the march, but police had postponed it several times, fearing violence. | The High Court gave permission for the march, but police had postponed it several times, fearing violence. |
About 2,500 police in riot gear were deployed as about 100 far-right activists marched in the town, waving Israeli flags. | |
About 2,500 Israeli riot police were deployed in the townThe activists said they wanted to exercise their right to march and raise the Israeli flag in any street in Israel. | |
There were no immediate reports of injuries. | |
Israeli-Arab residents of Umm al-Fahm had called a general strike and said they would use peaceful methods to prevent the activists from entering the town. | |
The town is considered a stronghold of Israeli-Arab sentiment, and is also where 13 Israeli-Arab protesters were killed during riots as the last Palestinian uprising, or intifada, broke out in 2001. | |
The march was planned about a year ago, but comes in the wake of a strong showing for the far right politician, Avigdor Lieberman, in Israel's recent elections. | |
Mr Lieberman advocates transferring majority-Arab areas in Israel to the control of the Palestinian Authority, and wants to bring in a citizenship law demanding that all Israeli citizens, including Israeli-Arabs, swear allegiance to Israel as a Jewish state. |