Violent clashes break out throughout Arab towns in Israel
Clashes break out in Arab towns across Israel in solidarity with Palestinians, and as a reaction to video showing female terrorist being shot in Afula.
Friday night was marked by widespread rioting in solidarity with Palestinians, and due to anger at the shooting a female terrorist across Arab towns in the north, Galilee, and the triangle area.
Dozens of youths, some masked, set fires to tires and threw rocks at security forces in Nazareth, while large quantities of Police were deployed to the scene. Multiple arrests were also reported in Sakhnin, while youths reportedly threw stones and clashed with police forces in Kfara Kanna.
A Police vehicle which arrived in Taybeh late on Friday was met with a hail of rocks and angry rioters.
Two Palestinian minors were also arrested for throwing stones at police in Jerusalem, while clashes were reported in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City.
Five masked men were arrested for allegedly throwing firebombs and stones towards security forces in Taybeh, while large police forces led by the Sharon district commander, Commander Kobi Shabtai, and commander of the Kedma station, Commander David Pilo acted against the rioters.
"We will act against anyone who seeks to disrupt the order, break the law, or endanger the public, like in previous instances, and we will take expedited and serious legal steps against them," the police said.
Women were also present among the masked youths who were throwing rocks. "We want to be a part of the struggle against the Israeli police and government crimes," one of the woman said. "We decided to take to the roads alongside the others in the struggle for Al Aqsa and against the killing."
The woman reacted to the shooting of the female terrorist after she attempted to stab a security guard in Afula on Friday morning, saying, "Tomorrow they will shoot us. We will continue the struggle until we are victorious. We can accomplish our goals with rocks."
US Reaction
The United States issued a formal reaction to the increasing violence on Friday, with a state department spokesman saying they "consider the violence in East Jerusalem to be acts of terrorism."
The department's spokesman John Kirby told reporters the United States "condemns in the strongest possible terms violence against both Israeli and Palestinian citizens."
"We consider these violent acts that we're talking about specifically here acts of terror ... this terrorism," he said.
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Reuters contributed to this article.
