OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Palestinians living in 1948 occupied Palestine are preparing for a large-scale protest after the Higher Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel called for a mass “Day of Rage” demonstration and a comprehensive general strike.
The protest is scheduled for Sunday outside the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in occupied Jerusalem, under the slogan: “A protest of rage to stop crime and massacres in Arab society; in defense of our Arab towns in the Naqab (Negev).”
The call comes amid a surge in organized crime and what organizers described as government complicity, following an expanded meeting held Wednesday in the city of Rahat.
The meeting brought together representatives of the National Committee of Arab Local Authorities, the Naqab Mayors’ Forum, the Higher Steering Committee for the Naqab, the Regional Council for Unrecognized Villages, members of the Knesset, activists, and civil society groups.
Speakers stressed the need to escalate popular struggle to confront the spread of killings and violence, and to halt what they described as a repressive state campaign targeting Palestinian towns in the Naqab.
The meeting agreed to adopt the proposal for a nationwide protest on Sunday and to urge political movements, local authorities, and popular bodies to engage in a broad mobilization campaign to ensure its success.
The Higher Follow-Up Committee said the demonstration reflects widespread public anger over rampant crime and over the actions of Israeli police in the Naqab and across other areas. It also announced the start of preparations for a full general strike encompassing all sectors, workers, employees, and professionals.
The strike will be preceded by a series of popular actions, while the committee of secretaries-general of the Follow-Up Committee’s components was tasked with drafting an implementation plan to be announced later.
The committee demanded an end to the siege imposed on the village of Tarabin al-Sani, the removal of concrete barriers blocking its entrance, and the lifting of all punitive measures imposed on its residents.
It also condemned the killing of Mohammed Hussein al-Tarabin inside his home and rejected the investigation being conducted by the police internal investigations unit, arguing that the unit has repeatedly proven in dozens of previous cases that its role is to exonerate perpetrators rather than hold them accountable.
The committee called for a fair and independent investigation with the participation of legal experts trusted by the Palestinian community inside Israel.
In the same context, the committee voiced support for pursuing legal action against those responsible for the police killing in the Tarabin al-Sani. It also condemned the targeting of Arab Movement for Change leader and Knesset member Ahmad Tibi, after Israeli police sought to open a criminal investigation against him over his stance on the killing and what the committee described as attempts to obscure the crime.
The committee denounced an official incitement campaign against Palestinians in the Naqab led by Netanyahu and Israeli minister of national security Itamar Ben-Gvir, as well as others, with participation from opposition figures, most notably Naftali Bennett, and with the backing of influential Israeli media outlets.
It said incitement and repression would not succeed in breaking the steadfastness of Palestinians inside Israel or altering their positions.
The Higher Follow-Up Committee also decided to prepare for a collective visit to Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem, in coordination with the Islamic Waqf and national forces in the city.
In parallel, it announced the launch of an international campaign to raise the issues facing Palestinians inside Israel, particularly crime and the Naqab, with the aim of mobilizing international pressure on the Israeli government.
The campaign will include publishing opinion articles in international media, sending letters to heads of state and governments, and holding meetings with foreign embassies and international journalists.
Following the meeting, participants traveled to Tairabin al-Sani, where they observed ongoing assaults by Israeli police forces and offered condolences to the family of Mohammed Hussein al-Tarabin, who was killed by police in what the committee described as an extrajudicial execution.
