Arab Parties Protest Follow-up Committee Chairman's Silence on Negev Detainees
Translated & summarized from Alarab by baba
The Islamic Movement and the Unified Arab List have sent a strong protest letter to Jamal Zahalka, chairman of the Follow-up Committee for the Arab Public in Israel. They are demanding an apology and condemnation of incitement and arrests targeting Negev residents and their own activists. The groups accuse Zahalka of ignoring these issues in a recent committee statement, which they argue is selective and unrepresentative of the entire Arab community. The committee is urged to act as an equal representative for all Arab factions.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Islamic Movement and Unified Arab List protest Jamal Zahalka's silence on Negev arrests and incitement.
- They demand an apology and condemnation from the Follow-up Committee chairman.
- The groups accuse the committee of selectively addressing political arrests.
- Dozens of Unified Arab List activists, including three in the Negev, were arrested.
- The committee is called upon to represent all Arab citizens equally.
The Islamic Movement and the Unified Arab List have strongly protested what they describe as the unacceptable silence of Jamal Zahalka, chairman of the Follow-up Committee for the Arab Public in Israel, regarding the ongoing incitement campaigns and arrests targeting residents of the Negev and its women, as well as leaders and activists of the Unified Arab List and the Islamic Movement. In a strongly worded letter, the two groups demanded Zahalka issue a formal apology to the people of the Negev and the detainees, and condemn the incitement and arrests. They emphasized that the Follow-up Committee is a comprehensive framework for all Arab citizens and not the property of any single party or faction.
The letter specifically criticized the committee's recent statement for only mentioning the arrest of journalist Abd Abu Shahada and the pursuit of Knesset Member Ayman Odeh, while completely ignoring the extensive incitement, arrests, and political pursuits affecting the Arab population in the Negev, including its women. The groups highlighted the arrest of dozens of Unified Arab List activists and leaders since election day, including three prominent activists in the Negev: Siaf Abu Riyash, Ibrahim Al-Quraibi, and Hussein Al-Masoudin, who were released only four days prior to the letter.
The Islamic Movement and the Unified Arab List asserted that the Follow-up Committee's role is to represent all segments of Arab society equally, without selectivity or discrimination. They rejected any selective approach to political arrests and pursuits, stating that the dignity and rights of detainees should not be determined by their party or regional affiliations. The letter concluded by reiterating the demand for a formal statement from Zahalka apologizing for the oversight and condemning the incitement and arrests targeting the Negev residents, women, and Unified Arab List officials, as well as the ongoing incitement against the Islamic Movement.
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