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Israeli Arab killed in clashes with police over home demolitions Israeli policeman and alleged attacker killed in clashes over home demolitions
(35 minutes later)
At least one Israeli Arab has been killed in clashes between police and demonstrators at a protest against home demolitions in the south of the country. An Israeli policeman and a man accused of attacking him have died during clashes over a court-ordered operation to demolish homes in an Arab Israeli village in the south of the country.
Police said they shot dead an attacker who tried to ram them with his car, but residents of the Bedouin village of Umm al-Heiran, in the Negev desert, said the driver was simply heading to the scene to talk with authorities in an attempt to halt the demolitions. Police said an Arab Israeli man rammed his vehicle into a group of officers, killing one of them, before he was shot dead. Local residents accused the police of using excessive force against demonstrators.
Police also inflicted a head injury on the Israeli Arab MP Ayman Odeh during the confrontation, according to a parliamentary aide who was with him. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said a local man sped toward the forces deployed to the Umm al-Hiran village early on Wednesday as they were securing the area ahead of its planned demolition. He said a jeep raced toward the troops, killing 34-year-old policeman Erez Levi. Troops opened fire at the driver, killing Yaakub Abu al-Qiyan, 50, whom Israeli officials later identified as belonging to an Islamist group. The clashes continued, and several policemen were wounded.
A police statement said that the man killed, a local resident, was active in the Israeli Islamic Movement and may have been influenced by the Islamic State organisation – a claim residents denied. Local residents said Abu al-Qiyan was trying to leave town and only lost control of his vehicle after police shot at him. Abu al-Qiyan’s brother, Ahmad, said he was “murdered in cold blood,” and Amnesty International called for a probe into the reports of excessive force by police.
Umm al-Heiran village activist Raed Abu al-Qiyan named the dead man as Yacoub Abu al-Qiyan, a member of his Bedouin clan, and denied he was seeking to harm police. “The police are light on the trigger when it comes to Arab citizens,” the Arab advocacy group Adalah said in a statement in which it accused the police of a “culture of lying”.
“The Israeli narrative is a lie. He was a revered school teacher,” he said. “He has no relations with the Islamic Movement. He was in his car and they shot at him from everywhere.” Palestinians have carried out a number of vehicular attacks against Israelis over the past year and a half, and earlier this month a Palestinian truck driver rammed into a group of Israeli soldiers, killing four.
Police said officers were injured during the early morning incident, without providing further details. Ayman Odeh, a politician and head of the Arab Joint List in the Israeli parliament, was wounded in Wednesday’s clashes, along with several others. Odeh was evacuated to a hospital with blood streaming down his forehead.
“A vehicle driven by a terrorist from the Islamic Movement intended to strike a number officers and carry out an attack,” Micky Rosenfeld, a police spokesman, said. He told Israel’s Army Radio that he was shot by overzealous officers who were deployed after extensive negotiations to delay the demolition broke down.
“The officers responded and the terrorist was neutralised.” “This is a direct order from [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, who wants to enflame the area,” he said. “This is a disgrace.”
A later statement confirmed that the alleged attacker was dead. Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan accused Odeh of stirring up the conflict and lying about what happened. He said he hoped the incident would not spark further divisions between Jews and Arabs in Israel, but that if it happens politicians like Odeh bore responsibility.
“Police were in the area to prevent disturbances during house demolitions in the area,” Rosenfeld added. “As a result of the incident there were riots that took place in the area that police responded to.” “He was there to enflame tensions and incite to violence,” he told Army Radio. “He contributed to a very serious event that may also have criminal implications for him.”
The injured politician heads the Joint List, a coalition of mainly Arab parties and the third-largest bloc in parliament. Arabs make up a fifth of Israel’s population. They enjoy full citizenship but frequently face unfair treatment in areas like jobs and housing.
Odeh’s aide, Anan Maalouf, told Israeli army radio: “They attacked the MP and other people – demonstrators – with stun grenades, teargas directly in people’s faces. The Israeli government recently vowed to crack down harder on illegal Arab construction following criticism from Jewish settlers, who face a court-ordered evacuation of an illegally built outpost in the West Bank.
“There was no car-ramming attack here. There were no clashes here between the demonstrators and police.” Last week, authorities demolished 11 homes in the central city of Kalansua, sparking a general strike among Israeli Arabs, who say the problem stems from long-standing barriers to acquiring proper permits put in place by the state.
Israeli authorities regularly carry out demolitions of Bedouin homes they deem to have been built illegally. Wednesday’s evacuation plans involve a long-running dispute between Israel and the formerly nomadic Bedouin of the Umm Al-Hiran village. Israel moved part of a Bedouin clan to the state-owned land 60 years ago, but now wishes to relocate residents to a government-designated Bedouin township.
However, building permits are nearly impossible to obtain, according to residents and activists, who say Jewish Israelis are given preferential treatment. An adjacent part of the village slated for future demolition is zoned for a new development catering to religious Jewish families with ties to the West Bank settlement movement.
Arab-Israelis have risen to prominence in sports, politics, entertainment and the judiciary. But Jewish Israelis have long viewed the community with suspicion, as many of Israel’s Arabs closely identify with Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza.
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said the housing dispute must be resolved and urged all sides to refrain from letting the incident spiral into further conflict.
“I turn to all leaders across Israel, particularly in the Arab community, and say this is a stressful and difficult time, and we must all work together and do everything in our power to bring calm, in words and in actions,” he said. “We must find a solution and a plan to deal with this burning national, social and civic issue before it is too late.”