Rivlin: Bedouins cannot be second-class citizens

President Reuven Rivlin visited the Bedouin town of Rahat on Wednesday in a gesture of solidarity following last month's shooting of a 22-year-old by a police officer and ensuing riots.

Rivlin urged residents to trust in the authorities to handle the case, and not to take the law into their own hands. The president emphasized unity between Jews and Bedouins, telling his audience that "you are the sons and daughters of this land, equal citizens, an inseparable part of the State of Israel."

Rivlin added that the law must be equal for all citizens in Israel. "There cannot be in the State of Israel, first and second class citizens," he said. "Certainly not in practice, but also not in notion." He added that it was only possible to achieve the necessary change together.