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Barak Avadi in the hospital
Photo: Ronni Albert
Police in Akko
Photo: Shai Vaaknin

Teen wounded in Akko Riots may lose eyesight

Jewish teenager hit by rock during Akko riots recounts the incident in talk with Ynet

Since the beginning of the Akko Riots, 14 people have been admitted to the hospital in Nahariya, all of them Jewish.

 

The most seriously wounded victim is 18-year-old Barak Avadi, an Akko resident and yeshiva student. Avadi was hit in the eye with a stone, and it's still too early to tell how much damage was done to his eyesight

 

"I've been living in Akko since I was a child and violent incidents are nothing new. On Saturday, around 9:30 pm, my friends and I were getting ready for prayer in the backyard of a private residence. The surrounding rooftops had about 30 to 40 Arabs standing on them. They were shouting insults in our direction. There were a few police officers in the street at that time, and they noticed this, but they were called to assist on the next street. That signaled the Arabs to start throwing rocks at us."

 

"One of our guys suddenly shouted and we all scattered across the yard, trying to dodge the rocks. Next thing I know, I got hit in the eye, and a friend of mine carried me to a house next door. The woman there took care of me until the ambulance arrived. All that time the Arabs were shouting obscenities in Arabic."

 

'We need to keep Akko Jewish'

With the event behind him, Barack Avadi has one clear message: "We have one objective, which I don't hide. We need to keep Akko Jewish. I don't want to kick anyone out, but if you are going to live next to us you need to understand who the majority is and learn to live with it."

  

Avadi added: "Sadly the riots were bound to happen. Since I was a kid, my father predicted that this would happen. Every time it does, the Arabs are treated leniently. Two year ago, during Simchat Torah, Arabs disrupted the celebrations...this time I'm glad that the Jews didn't back down."

 

"I would like to stress a point here," said Avadi, "I am against violence, and I am calling on all Jews not carry out violent acts against Arabs or the police, just maintain a massive presence in the streets and roads, stand there peacefully to show that we are Jews and  that we will determine Akko's future. Akko is in a state of emergency, and I'm happy that the festival was cancelled. I guarantee that it will come back next year, and the years after that."

 

Avadi added, "Jews today are searching more for existence than coexistence, and let no one else tell you any differently, only those who are here can understand this thing."

 

Meanwhile, th Nahariya hospital has said that it's too early to know the extent of the damage to Barak's Eye. Doctor Rali Ovadiya said that "the young man arrived with a laceration on his eyelid, which required four stitches. His cornea and retina have been bruised and there are some bruises in the jaw area."

 

"It is too early to tell the amount of damage done to the eye; currently he is being treated in an attempt to prevent his eyesight from being damaged. We hope to discharge him in time for Succoth, and keep treating him over the next few days, in order to ensure his eyesight remains intact."

 


פרסום ראשון: 10.12.08, 20:32
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