The convoys are being organized by the High Follow-Up Committee for the Arab Citizens of Israel, an umbrella group for the community.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n A convoy set out from the northern Arab city of Shfaram at 9 a.m., and will head south along the coast, joining up with another convoy at the Caesarea Junction and then with a convoy from the south at the Latrun interchange, from where the combined convoy will head to Jerusalem, planning to arrive at the government quarter at around 1:30 p.m.<\/p>\n \t Jamal Zahalka, who heads the High Follow-Up Committee, told the Walla outlet, \u201cWe want to voice a great cry of the grave distress felt by the Arab community. People are being murdered and injured every day.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur whole community lives in fear of organized crime,\u201d he said, blasting the government\u2019s \u201cabandonment,\u201d which he alleged had created \u201ca state within a state.\u201d<\/p>\n In Jerusalem, Zahalka and the mayor of the Arab town of Sakhnin, Mazen Ghnaim, will read out a letter addressed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the matter, and plan to hand it to him personally before he leaves for Washington.<\/p>\n The committee said that if there is no change in government policy, next week it will call a general strike, including by workers in the health, transportation, and construction industries.<\/p>\n The Haaretz newspaper reported that in the coming days the committee will begin talks with organizations, workers committees, local authorities and other entities to seek the broadest possible participation in the strike and to protect the rights of those who participate, ensuring that they don\u2019t face punishment or dismissal from employers.<\/p>\n According to the Ynet outlet, on Tuesday, activists from the Standing Together lobby group are planning to block junctions across the country and disrupt traffic.<\/p>\n Mohammad Nassar, from Tira, whose son was killed last week in a triple homicide<\/a>, told Ynet, \u201cThere is no end to this crime that is snuffing out young people who have still not seen anything in their lives.\u201d Blasting Ben Gvir, he said, \u201cThe very fact that he is keeping quiet shows the level of disregard for people\u2019s lives.\u201d<\/p>\n \t Tofik Kassum, whose relative was gunned down last week<\/a>, told Ynet, \u201cWe don\u2019t want to lose people, we want to live our lives without danger\u2026 We are fed up.\u201d<\/p>\n Last Thursday, three men all from the same family were shot and killed<\/a> in northern Israel. Hours later, two men were shot dead<\/a> in East Jerusalem\u2019s Shuafat refugee camp<\/p>\n \t Violent killings have run rampant in Arab cities and towns over the past decade, but the issue worsened considerably in 2023 \u2014 Ben Gvir\u2019s first year in office \u2014 when the number of murders jumped to 244, doubling the previous year\u2019s figure of 116. It dipped slightly in 2024 before reaching new heights last year. The previous record high, set in 2022, was 126 murders.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tMagen David Adom paramedics arrive at the scene of a deadly shooting in East Jerusalem on February 5, 2026. (Magen David Adom)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/F260131YS136-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tArab-Israeli community leader Jamal Zahalka speaks at a protest against violence in the Arab community, in Tel Aviv on January 31, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/F260112YS139-e1768231006455-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tNational Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir leads a faction meeting of his Otzma Yehudit party at the Knesset in Jerusalem on December 12, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90)<\/p>\n
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