Arab Follow-Up Committee Calls for Mass Participation in Jerusalem Uprising Commemoration March

The Higher Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens in Israel has called for widespread participation in a march to commemorate the "Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Uprising," scheduled for Saturday in the city of Arraba. This event is part of a series of activities honoring martyrs and recalling the events of the uprising that began in October 2000.

The committee stated, following a secretariat meeting, that the march will commence at 4 PM from the Old Mosque on Zahir al-Amr Street and conclude at the school square near the Martyrs' Monument. The committee views broad participation as a confirmation of resistance against what it described as a "comprehensive onslaught" on the Arab community, citing issues such as home demolitions, land confiscation, settlement expansion, restrictions on political activity, and rising crime and violence.

Furthermore, the committee condemned decisions by the Central Elections Committee to disqualify Arab lists and parties, as well as a Supreme Court majority ruling barring Sami Abu Shehadeh, head of the National Democratic Alliance party, from running for office. It urged the strengthening of political and societal unity to defend the right of Arab citizens to engage in political action.

The committee also addressed what it termed escalating incitement and racism against Arab citizens, noting the targeting of medical teams, bus drivers, university students, and political leaders and parties. The statement reaffirmed the committee's commitment to commemorating the martyrs of the Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Uprising, linking their memory to the issues of Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa, and the Palestinian cause amidst ongoing war, destruction, displacement, settlement expansion, and repression.

As part of the commemoration program, the committee announced visits to graves and monuments in several towns, including Jatt, Umm al-Fahm, Muawiya, Nazareth, Kafr Kanna, Kafr Mandi, Sakhnin, and Arraba, with the main march set to begin in Arraba at 4 PM.