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Calls to abduct IDF soldiers heard during Haifa protest

Arab Israelis wave PLO flags while inciting against security forces during a protest over the accidental killing of a disabled Palestinian.

The Palestinian flag. Credit: Makbula Nassar via Wikimedia Commons.
The Palestinian flag. Credit: Makbula Nassar via Wikimedia Commons.

Dozens of Arab Israelis called for the abduction of Israel Defense Forces soldiers at a rally in Haifa on Tuesday.

Slogans chanted at the rally, filmed by Channel 12 reporter Furat Nassar, included “Kidnap [IDF] soldiers and release the [Palestinian] prisoners,” “Tell the dogs at the Shin Bet [Israel Security Agency] to get ready, because the time for a fight has come” and “Death, not humiliation.”

The event was held in response to the death of 32-year-old Iyad al-Halak, a Palestinian on the autism spectrum killed on May 30 by Border Police who mistook his behavior as threatening. The demonstrators were Arab citizens of Israel, yet waved PLO flags.

The Zionist watchdog organization Im Tirtzu filed a complaint with police about the incitement that took place at the demonstration, which “endangers members of [Israel’s] security forces.”

“We expect the Israel Police to uphold the law and arrest all those involved in this disgraceful protest,” said Tom Nisani, the head of Im Tirtzu’s Arab Desk.

The Knesset passed an anti-incitement law in 2002, prohibiting the publicizing of explicit support for terrorist attacks or praising those that carry them out.

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