Arab Protestors Block Major Roads to Decry Crime Inaction by Gov’t

Arab demonstrators blocked Israel’s main toll road, Route 6, as well as other main highways around the country on Thursday, October 28, to protest governmental and police inaction in the fight to end the crime wave in Arab cities and towns.

Mohammed Barakeh, chairman of the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel addresses protesting Arab citizens on the Ayalon Highway near HaShalom Interchange in central Tel Aviv, October 28, 2021. The placard held aloft at the top of the image reads “The police are partners in the violence and crime.” (Photo: Al-Ittihad)

Demonstrators set out from Kafr Qara, in central Israel, in a convoy of hundreds of vehicles headed for Tel Aviv. After stopping traffic at the Eyal Junction, the protesters blocked the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv near the Hashalom Interchange during the evening rush hour.

Parliamentarians from the Joint List including MK Ayman Odeh (Hadash) as well leading Hadash and Communist Party of Israel activists, took part in the protest. Several Arab mayors also joined the convoy. “We’re living in a situation in which there are murders every two or three days. If our children can’t live normal lives, the rest of the country will not be able to carry on normally,” Odeh told journalists.