Once the goal is met, the petition will be presented to President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, in the hope that "they will wake up and get to the truth." So far, 220,000 signatures from Arab and Jewish citizens have been collected, mostly by Hadash (Democratic Front for Peace and Equality) and communist activists. In January 2008, Attorney General Menachem Mazuz decided to close the case. The petition initiative – led by Hadash Chairman MK Mohammad Barakeh – soon followed.
"It stands to become the biggest petition ever brought against any decision made by the Israeli establishment. It cannot be ignored," said Shawki Hatib, chairman of the Higher Arab Monitoring Committee, "the public is not motivated by revenge, but by the desire for a future in which the person – regardless if he is an Arab or a Jew – is in the center. We call upon the powers that be to wake up. The Arab public will not stay quiet."
Adalah head Hassan Jabareen said in the press conference that his organization intends to pursue both local and international avenues in its pursuit of the truth, adding the group also intends to submit the European Union and the UN with a report on the October riots. Hassan Asalah, who represents the families of a young killed, added: "This petition is a badge of honor for our community. It proves we will not rest until justice is done."
from: Communist Party of Israel
