Arab Israelis in Haifa protest over Gaza killings
HAIFA - Agence France-Press
Hundreds of Arab Israelis demonstrated on May 19 evening in Haifa in solidarity with Gaza, where more than 60 Palestinians have died from Israeli fire in recent days.
Protesters shouted “down with the occupation, stop fascism” and denounced the arrests of 19 people on May 18 in the northern Israeli city during a previous rally held in solidarity with Gaza residents.
They waved four large letters in bright red, making up the word “Gaza” and chanted slogans including “Jews and Arabs, we are not enemies.”
A total of 62 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli gunfire on May 14, when thousands of Palestinians protested as the United States officially moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem after recognizing the disputed city as the capital of Israel.
They were among 119 Palestinians killed by Israeli troops on the border between the Gaza Strip and the Jewish State since mass demonstrations started on March 30, according to authorities in Gaza, which is run by the Islamist movement Hamas.
The Israeli army insists its actions are necessary to defend the border and prevent mass infiltrations. It accuses Hamas of using the demonstrations to approach and damage the border fence, including laying explosive devices and attacking soldiers.
Palestinian and Israeli sources on May 20 said a Palestinian prisoner had died of a heart attack while in Israeli custody.
Aziz Ewisat was serving a 30-year prison sentence since 2014 and had suffered a heart attack earlier this month, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club said. Israeli prison authorities said he had heart failure after attacking a guard, adding that Ewisat was a member of Hamas.
Israeli Arabs, the descendants of Palestinians who remained on their land when Israel was created in 1948, are around 17.5 percent of the Israeli population.
