Arab Towns in Israel Strike in Protest against Home Demolitions

Arab towns inside Israel have declared a general strike on Wednesday to protest of the Israeli demolition of 11 homes in the Arab town of Qalansowa, in central Israel.

    The strike was called for by the Higher Arab Follow-up Committee, an independent political organization tasked with coordinating the political actions of various Israeli-Arab bodies.

    The committee called on all Palestinian sectors in Israel to observe a general strike to protest what it said was collective campaign of demolitions of Palestinian homes under the pretext they were built without a permit, state news agency (WAFA) reported.

    According to Arab 48 website, all sectors in the Arab towns in Israel are partaking in the strike, including schools, local councils and municipalities, in addition to commercial stores and other public and private facilities.

    The strike however excludes healthcare services and private education institutions, the website said.

    The demolition of the Qalansowa homes came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had called for demolition of Arab homes reportedly built without permit to avenge an Israeli High Court decision to demolish homes in the illegal Amona settlement built on private Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank.

    While the Amona homes are still in place two years after the court order and the Israeli government is still fighting the demolition and eviction order, it went ahead and demolished Arab homes in Qalansowa. The Arabs in Israel are expected to carry out further protest measures against the demolition of Arab homes.

Source: QNA