Umm al-Fahm resident casts his vote
Photo: Fawzi Abu Toama
Arabs: Jewish parties disrupting elections
Representatives of Arab parties in northern communities accuse right-wing activists of interfering with democratic voting process
Life in Umm al-Fahm returned to normal Tuesday afternoon after many of the Arab town's residents and leaders blocked the city's main entrance in a bid to prevent far-right activist Baruch Marzel from serving as the chairman of a local polling committee.
Election Day
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National Union Knesset member, sent to replace extremist Baruch Marzel at one of northern Arab city's polling stations, leaves amid riot. 'Police did their job, I never feared for my life,' he says. 'I have other ballots to visit'
"For example, they won't allow people whose identity card is slightly torn to vote," he claimed.
Some of Umm al-Fahm's residents also said they felt that the right-wing activists were interfering with the democratic election process.
"Life in the city has been disrupted and I think it will affect the election process," said Abed Agbaria, an Umm al-Fahm resident. "This is Marzel and the extreme rightists' goal, and they have achieved it."
In the rest of the Wadi Ara communities, the polling stations opened smoothly. A polling committee chairman in Baqa said, however, that many voters had yet to arrive.
"I think that because of the weather and the rain people won't come and will wait for the rain to stop," he said.
Meanwhile, activists of Arab parties in northern communities announced they would send vehicles to pick up anyone facing difficulties getting to the polling station in the rain.
"We know people have a problem getting to the polling stations, so we've prepared cars to drive them," said Mufid Otamana.
