The heads of the Arab authorities have called for a boycott of a meeting scheduled for them with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the issue of crime in Arab society and was scheduled to take place tomorrow, the Walla news website reported today. The meeting was initiated by the chairman of the Center for Local Government, Haim Bibbs, in coordination with the chairman of the committee of the heads of the Arab authorities in Israel, Mod Yunis, who also serves as the head of the Arara local council.
According to the heads of local authorities who serve in senior positions on the committee, this is a political exploitation of the helplessness of the Israeli government in the fight against violence, and therefore they attacked the yeshiva on social media and demanded its cancellation.
The authorities whose leaders refused to attend the meeting are the head of the Kfar Kanna council, the mayor of Sakhnin, the mayor of Tira, the mayor of Araba and the head of the Kokhav Abu al-Higa council. On the other hand, a number of heads of local authorities, some of whom previously identified with the Likud party and showed support for Bibbs, insist that the meeting between them and the prime minister take place as planned.
According to the Walla publication, Jafar Farah, director of the Mossawa Center for Arab Civil Rights in Israel, said that “Bibi is taking advantage of the crisis of violence, and as in 1997 is trying to scrape voices in Arab localities.” He added that “the state budget in the year ended deepened the discrimination of the Arab authorities. Even Nazareth did not get what it deserved in the fight against Corona, industry and transportation. All mayors would do well to wait after the election. The proposal to detract 15% from the authorities’ development budget is simply insolent. The Arab deserves an equal opportunity for the Jewish child. “
On Wednesday, a demonstration was held in Nazareth in protest of Netanyahu’s visit to the HMO clinic in the city. Clashes broke out between Nazareth residents and police and border fighters, and ten demonstrators were arrested or detained, including Knesset members from the “joint list,” despite their immunity.
During his visit to the city, the Prime Minister said that “this is an opportunity to begin a new era in relations between us and the Arab citizens of the State of Israel, an era of respect and equality, personal respect, opportunities and power.” He added that “whoever says we remembered the Arabs only because of the election is either lying or he does not know the facts. If Jews and Arabs can dance together in the streets of Dubai, they can dance together in the State of Israel as well. A new era begins today – prosperity, integration and security.”
Netanyahu added, “I am personally committed to ensuring the personal security of each and every one of you. I want you to be able to walk the streets of your communities without fear, as you walk around Tel Aviv. We have eradicated crime in the Jewish sector and will do so in the Arab sector. The special program to eradicate crime. “