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Since the current Knesset was convened in May 1999, eight Arab members have been physically hurt in attacks carried out by military police
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TEL
AVIV, October 23 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Israel
is carrying out a “campaign for silencing Arab members of
Knesset,” and has adopted a “strategy aimed at denying the [Arab]
minority its voting rights, contrary to its international
obligation,” organizations representing Arab minority rights said in
two ground-breaking reports presented to the Knesset Tuesday, October
22, an Israeli newspaper reported.
Ha’aretz
said that the reports, which were prepared by the Arab Association for
Human Rights (HRA) and the Mussawa Center, Israel’s nine Arab
Members of Knesset, have been targets of a concerted policy of
physical attack by security forces and their freedom of movement has
been restricted.
There
are also a number of legal and legislative processes in the works
aimed at neutralizing their political activity, the reports note, the
paper added.
Since
the current Knesset was convened in May 1999, eight of them have been
physically hurt in 11 attacks carried out by military police,
according to the rights organizations; most of the members were
attacked more than once, and in seven cases medical treatment was
required, said Ha'aretz.
According
to the newspaper, the report by the Nazareth-based HRA organization,
entitled “Silencing Dissent,” has been sent to 12 international
organizations, including the European Commission on the future of
relations between Israel and the E.U.
The
HRA asked the commission to suspend its relations with Israel.
The
report was also sent to the European parliament, United Nations Human
Rights Committee and the United States Congress.
The
Arab minority in Israel “desperately needs” the protection of the
international community in light of the “systematic violation of its
political rights,” the report implores, the paper reported.
“MK
Ahmed Tibi, whose name is mentioned often in the reports, said that
the data shows that ‘every one of our demonstrations is considered a
nationalistic incident, regardless of whether it’s against land
expropriations or on behalf of tomato growers’,” reported Ha'aretz.
