Thursday. thousands of residents of Shfa-Amr Arabic town in Israel protested against arresting seven residents the Israeli police claims that they killed the settler-soldier Eden Natan-Zada who staged on board of an Arabic bus heading to Shfa-Amr and opened fire at the passengers; four residents were killed and dozens were injured. The attack took place in early August, 2005.
The residents announced strike in the town while thousands of residents took off to the streets and marched in support of the seven residents. The protesters gathered in the location were the attack took place and chanted slogans calling for the release of the seven residents.
Arab members of Knesset, Jamal Zahalka, Mohammad Barakeh, Hanna Sowwed, Abbas Zakkour and Isam Makhoul also participated in the protest; several social and political leaders also attended the protest.
Zahalka said that “the terrorist Natan-Zada was produced in the hostile environment that hates the Arabs and calls for killing them”.
Zahalka added that the families of the casualties, and the residents, demanded since the attack took place that Israel should form a neutral investigation comity in order to reveal the truth and expose the “companions of Nata-Zada”.
“But the police does not want that”, Zahalka stated, “It seems that they have something to hide, and prefer to investigate the death of Natan-Zada instead of investigating the death of the innocent civilians he killed”.
Also, Zahalka added that the residents had to defend themselves and that Natan-Zada was killed while the residents were trying to stop him from continuing his gunfire against them.
“This is what the police did after they killed twelve Arabs residents in October 2000”, Zahalka said, “This is what they did in Gaza beach Massacre last week”.
