The political murder of an Arab leader "is only a matter of time," Israeli-Arab leaders warned Saturday during a conference in the town of Umm al-Fahm, against the backdrop of growing tensions between Jews and Arabs in the country in recent months.
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"The people willing to do this are not in the fringes, they are part of the regime," stated Amir Mahoul, chairman of the Committee for the Protection of Arab Society Liberties.
The conference, organized by the Israeli Arab Higher Monitoring Committee, hosted prominent figures in the sector, including MKs, intellectuals and local leaders, who claimed they were united by the realization that they are being persecuted by the Israeli establishment.
"The denial of democratic liberties has been part of the national oppression since the Nakba in 1948," said Shawki Khatib, chairman of the Higher Monitoring Committee.
"This campaign of oppression and the denial of rights enjoys the support of the Jewish majority in the country. It is the establishment that encourages the public to breach these rights," he added.
Khatib further claimed that calls by right-wing MKs and Jewish religious leaders for military action in the Gaza Strip, lead to threats on the lives of Israeli-Arab leaders. "This incitement immediately translates into plans to assassinate Sheikh Raed Salah, threats on MKs, and an atmosphere that legitimizes the killing of Arabs.
"I blame the establishment for any future attack against Arabs. These things originate in the official state policy and come from the center of the political map in Israel," he claimed.
According to Mahoul, "The State pushes us towards confrontation. We are in a situation of escalation, which has turned us into a public in danger."
Mahoul reiterated the stance that the establishment sponsors and promotes the assassination of Arab leaders, and said that the committee he chairs plans to invite to Israel representatives of international human rights organizations to asses the dangers facing the Arab public in the country.
Several Arab MKs, including Mohammad Barakeh, Ahmad Tibi and Talab el-Sana did not attend the conference, reportedly due to disagreements over the correct policy that should be adopted in order deal with the incitement.
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