Yesterday (24 March), extreme rightwing activists marched through the Arab-Israeli town of Umm al-Fahm, waving Israeli flags. In fighting the fascist message of the extremists, 13 Arab-Israelis were arrested.
After months of postponements and a petition to the Israeli High Court, the 100 extremists were allowed to march in Umm al-Fahm, secured by 2,500 police officers. After the march, there were moderate clashes between police and residents, resulting in 30 injuries and so far, 13 arrests.
At a press conference on Monday, 22 March, Umm al-Fahm mayor, Sheikh Khaled Hamdan, said that residents will organize to prevent the marchers from entering their town. Sheikh Hamdan stated, "We have no desire for clashes […] we are not seeking a confrontation with demonstrators or with the police. Our plan is to block the march with our bodies, in a serene and peaceful way." The town also held a strike of all businesses and public institutions.
The extreme rightist activists marched with the demand of loyalty to the Jewish state, echoing the campaign messages of the far-rightwing politician, Israel Beitenu party chairman Avigdor Leiberman. Leiberman has called to establish various extremist nationalist measures, such as for all Arab-Israeli citizens to be made to declare loyalty to the Israeli state, putting their citizenship at stake.
Calling the march a success, the extremists are now seeking to create committees to monitor the activity within Arab towns. A rightwing source told Ynet, “We intend on forming a monitoring committee to counter any infringements of the law in the Arab sector. The committee will be headed by Knesset Member Michael Ben Ari (National Union) and other right-wing activists will serve as members as well."
This march is only one example of harassment that the residents of Umm al-Fahm have endured from the rightwing activists. As the largest Arab city in Israel, Umm al-Fahm has been targeted by this extremist rightwing movement as a place to protest and make itself a large and menacing presence.
One of the main leaders of the nationalists who organized in Umm al-Fahm is Baruch Marzel, a Hebron settler. Marzel has a long history of promoting violence and bigotry in the name of Jewish national extremism, both in the US and Israel. Born in the US, Marzel was the spokesperson for the outlawed Kach group. This group was deemed as a terrorist organization by the US government in 1994, partially due to statements issued in support of the Goldstein massacre in Hebron. Marzel is currently the leader of the far-Right Jewish National Front party.
In February, Marzel was appointed to oversee a polling station in Umm al-Fahm, as all those running for Knesset seats in the elections are entitled by law to oversee a certain number of polling stations. Marzel was ultimately ordered to stay away from the town by the regional police. The police cited public safety concerns and possible obstructions to the proper voting process at the polling station. Prior to the police decision, it was unanimously voted by the city council to non-violently block Marzel’s entrance into the city. In an article covering the resistance at the time, one Jewish Israeli protester said, "The fact that fascism is rapidly spreading throughout Israel is not just a problem for the resident of Umm al-Fahm, but for all Israelis. That's why I'm here."
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