Those who assumed that the Umm al-Fahm funeral of ‎Arab Israeli Ahmed Mohammed ‎Hamid, killed while ‎attempting to stab an Israeli police ‎officer in ‎Jerusalem, would adhere to the restrictions set by ‎the Israel Police and not turn into a festival of incitement, were incredibly naive.‎

Much like the funerals of other terrorists who came ‎from the northern Israeli town, Hamid’s was ‎led by members of the Northern Branch of ‎the Islamic Movement, who incited the 1,000-strong ‎crowd to riot. ‎

Outlawed in 2015, the Northern Branch and its ‎proxies continue to operate unhindered throughout ‎Israel, and they have made Umm al-Fahm the center of ‎their operations. There, the municipality and ‎residents give them all the support they need to ‎disseminate their anti-Israel hatred and propaganda. ‎

This is also why no one is surprised by the fact ‎that the majority of Israeli Arab terrorists come ‎from Umm al-Fahm.

It must be said that Hamid‎’s ‎family stressed they condemn violence and terrorism, ‎saying he was mentally unstable, and it was unlikely ‎that his actions were nationalistically motivated. ‎Still, the family has demanded an investigation into ‎his killing, saying the police did not have to use ‎lethal force to neutralize him.‎

The police also erred when they decided to hold on ‎to Hamid’s body on the eve of Eid al-Adha (the Festival of ‎Sacrifice) while posing nearly impossible ‎conditions for the family to bury their son. This ‎only agitated the situation on the ground, as Umm al-‎Fahm’s residents rallied to the family’s aid and ‎helped them raise the 50,000-shekel ($14,000) bond ‎the police demanded they deposit as a guarantee the ‎conditions set for the funeral would be met.‎

The family’s mixed emotions were best put by one ‎relative, who said Northern Branch operatives came to ‎the funeral—where they launched fireworks, fired ‎in the air and called for revenge—“To give a show ‎after they contributed to the bond payment. Had the ‎police simply released the body for burial without ‎preconditions, none of this would have happened. ‎There is no honor in a funeral where people launch ‎fireworks.”