Palestinians in Israel protest against mosque attack

Palestinian residents in Israel organised a large rally yesterday protesting against the fire in the Abu-Baker Mosque in the city of Um Al-Fahm.

The mosque was set ablaze on Saturday by members of the extremist Jewish settler group Price Tag.

A large number of Palestinians living in Israeli cities took part in the rally which was called upon by the High Follow-Up Committee. A number of heads of municipalities also joined the protest.

They raised several slogans and chanted against Prince Tag. In a statement, the High Follow-Up Committee considered the attack on the mosque in Um Al-Fahm and other mosques in other places as a regional issue that affects all Palestinians in the country.

The statement said the Israeli government, the police and all the state institutions were responsible for the attack.

Following the rally, the committee set up a group to discuss similar attacks and other issues of concern. The group will demand Price Tag be classed a terrorist organisation.

Those who took part in the rally agreed to form a popular committee that represents all political parties of Arabs in Israel. The committee is to carry out the recommendations reached by the new group and send letters to the prime minister and his council calling for a fact-finding mission following such attacks.

They will send messages to all ambassadors in the country and organise a regional rally in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv in order to protest against the “fascist facts” of the Price Tag group. They also plan to organise rallies at the entrances of Arabic cities and villages in Israel.