Arab leaders have called on the Arab community in Israel to continue holding protests in the city of Umm al-Fahm over violence and organized crime, as well as the Israeli police crackdown on protesters.
Officials from Umm al-Fahm’s municipality and the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel also called for protests.
Dozens of protesters were wounded after the Israeli police fired rubber-coated bullets, tear gas, stun grenades, and water cannons.
At least 11 were hospitalized, while seven others were arrested at the scene.
Umm al-Fahm mayor Samir Subhi Mahameed was also wounded by police violence and received medical treatment.
Hundreds of upset Arabs gathered outside the municipality for the seventh week in a row, to protest violence, crimes, and the police's failure to extinguish them.
The activists started marching holding 22 coffins, symbolizing the number of victims in the Arab society this year.
For years, violence and crime have been shocking the Arab community in Israel. In the past two years, however, they became a phenomenon that continues to spread.
Last year, up to 91 Arabs were killed in similar incidents.
