Residents of Um Al Qataf village, in Wadi Ara area in Haifa district, protested on Saturday against the attempts of the Israeli government to house the collaborators who were moved by Israel from the west Bank and Gaza, to their village.
The protestors marched in the streets of the village, carried and chanted slogans against housing the collaborators among them.
A protest meeting was held before the procession, several Arab members of Knesset and representatives of political factions were also present.
Sufian Kabha, representative of the Local Committee Against Housing the Collaborators said that the Israeli authorities are trying to house the collaborators in the village after claming that it bought lands for them there.
Several Arab figures such as Ibrahim Sarsour, head of the Islamic Movement in Israel, Dr. Hanna Sowweid, and Arab members of Knesset Mohammad Barakeh and Isam Makhoul were also participating in the protest.
Elan Sadeh, head of Meneshe Regional Council, was also present and expressed his support to the residents in their struggle against housing the collaborators among them.
Dr. Mahmoud Mohareb, member of the National Democratic Block, said that it is a human and national obligation to fight the housing of the collaborators among the residents.
Mustafa Kabha, one of the organizers of the protest, said that this protest is the beginning of “the struggle against this dangerous phenomenon” and called on uniting the efforts in order to counter it.
Protest against housing collaborators in the Galilee
Saed Bannoura-IMEMC & Agencies
Residents of Um Al Qataf village, in Wadi Ara area in Haifa district called on the Arab residents of Israel to participate in a central protest against housing collaborators with the occupation in their village.
The residents released a statement appealing all Arab residents in Israel, Arab members of Knesset, heads of local councils and the political and popular movements to participate in the protest on Saturday against housing the collaborators in their village.
“Those collaborators are traitors who betrayed their people, country and religion and collaborated with the Israeli occupation, they do not deserve to live among us”, a statement released by the residents in Wadi Ara reads, “If Israel want to host those corrupters, it should host them in Tel Aviv, or Hertizila, but not among us”.
Abdul-Rahim Kabha, head of the Popular Committee Against housing the collaborators in Um Al Qataf, said that the Israeli Defense Ministry purchased recently lands in the village in order to house the collaborators without the knowledge or agreement of the residents.
Arab member of Knesset Jamal Zahalka rejected during a Knesset session on Tuesday, the Israeli plan to house the collaborators in Um Al Kataf, in Wadi Ara.
“The residents of Um Al Qataf reject housing the collaborators among them”, Zahalka said, “Israel should send them to the P.A to prosecute them, or house them next to Shabak (Israeli Internal security Services) men who hired them”.
Several members of Knesset objected to his statements, and he replied “you are responsible for them, house them in your buildings but not among us, we don’t want traitors among us”.
