Stun grenade thrown into home of Jatt Street Naming Commission head
The attack took place Sunday, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Interior Minister Aryeh Deri requested that street signs named after Yasser Arafat be taken down; police have launched an investigation.
Vandals threw a stun grenade on Sunday into the home of Muhammad Kauwash, the head of the Street Naming Commission in the Arab village of Jatt, after a decision was made to remove street signs named after the Yasser Arafat, Hajj Amin al-Husseini and Izz a-Din al-Qassam.
No one was hurt. Police from Iron opened an investigation into the incident and are examining the possibility it is related to the decision to change the street names.
"At the moment, the background is unknown, but we are staying strong and dealing with everything," Kauwash said following the incident.
The head of the Jatt Local Council, Muhammad Watad, visited Kauwash after the incident and said, "I condemn all forms of violence and I hope the police catch all those behind this act."
Furthermore, Watad emphasized that Kauwash is not responsible for the names of the street signs.
Yitzhak Waled, who served as head of the committee in charge of the unification of Baqa and Jatt in 2006, said, "When I set up the commission for street names, I warned them not to use the names of politicians, because in the end it will get us all into trouble. I never approved any street named after Yasser Arafat."
The tension comes after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Interior Minister Aryeh Deri requested that the street name be removed, on the basis that it was never submitted to the Interior Ministry for approval in 2006.
