The events of October 2000

Courtesy www.arabs48.com /صورة من المسيرة المركزية على طريق كوكب ابو الهيجاء - سخنين

The events of October 2000 have etched themselves on the memories of the Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel as a time when those in charge could walk away with blind murder, literally.

October 2000 is marked by the killing of 12 innocent Palestinians living within Israel while they were protesting Israeli aggression in the Occupied Territories during the Intifada.

So on the 1st of October, as has happened over the last 5 years, a maseereh / march was organised to commemorate the deaths of the 13 (12 from Israel, 1 from the Territories). This year's march, which I attended, holds special significance because the authorities in charge of the investigation, the Mahash, recently published their conclusions. This final report found no one to be responsible in the deaths of the 13, and came after a state-sanctioned commission recommended criminal prosecution for specific officers.

Arab leaders point to institutionalised racism as being at the heart of the situation, as Arab Palestinians within Israel are increasingly being viewed as a demographic threat, and as Israel's fifth column.