Arabs await militant rabbi

Press, 30 August 1984, Page 10

Arabs await militant rabbi

NZPA-ReuterUmm ElFahm Arabs in the hilltop Israeli town of Umm ElFahm tensely await a march past their homes today led by the Right-wing Rabbi Meir Kahane at the start of his campaign to expel Arabs from Israel. The municipal council of the central Israeli town of 25,000 Arabs called a general strike and vowed not to let Rabbi Kahane’s supporters, some of whom he has said would be armed, into the town. Rabbi Kahane said he would bring 150 supporters. The police said that they could not prevent him entering the town because of his Parliamentary immu-

nity but they would stop his supporters. Residents said they would form a human chain to prevent his entry. A banner in red letters in English, Hebrew, and Arabic on the gate of the municipality building proclaimed, “They shall not pass,”. Supporters of his Kach Party left leaflets in the town overnight telling Arabs that they would never have equal rights in a Jewish state. They were urged to name other Arabs willing to accept compensation to go to a Western country. Scores of Arabs from the south and more than 200 Jews, many from Kibbutz agricultural co-operatives, spent the night in Umm El-

Fahm in a show of support for its residents.

They were greeted by hundreds of residents who gathered late into the night to discuss how to peacefully resist the New York-born Rabbi Kahane who has had Parliamentary immunity since winning a seat in last month’s election.

The municipal secretary, Mr Jamil Mahmid, said, “We don’t want them here and we want the day to pass peacefully,” but he added, “We cannot promise there will be no violence because Kahane is trying hard to provoke us.” The platform of Rabbi Kahane’s party calls for the expulsion of the 1.3 million Palestinians in Israeli-occu-pied Arab lands and the

650,000 Arab citizens who make up one-sixth of Israel’s population. In a central cafe overlooking the flat-roofed stone and concrete family houses that dot the steep hill, discussions about Kahane continued yesterday. “It’s not just a matter of Kahane. There are hundreds like him and some day there could be thousands,” said a student aged 20. “If he gets in here, he will try going everywhere,” said another student.

A Jewish teacher visiting the town overnight said, “Kahane disgusts me. I came to oppose him because he is a symbol of the disintegration of Israeli society.”