Anger and Isolation Roil Israeli Arabs
Israeli Arabs have always been restive. Part of their anxiety
is based on the sympathy they feel for Palestinians who live
in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, many of whom are blood
relatives. And part of it is based on what everyone agrees is
the unequal treatment they receive in Israel. The standard
of living among Israeli Arabs is about half that of Israeli
Jews. Several recent reports have shown that the schools
are grossly subpar. Most Israeli Arab homes still rely on
septic tanks. Year after year, the government promises to
equalize spending between Arab and Jewish communities, but
the promise still has not been fulfilled.

The turning point, when restiveness became anger and
revolt, occurred on Oct. 1, 2000, two days after a visit to Al
Aksa Mosque in Jerusalem by Ariel Sharon, who was then
Israel's opposition leader.

Thousands of Israeli Arabs demonstrated and then rioted in
protest of the visit. In a response that touched off the
current uprising, Israeli police officers shot and killed 13 of
the Israeli Arab demonstrators, including three from Umm al
Fahm. Mr. Siam's 18-year-old son, Ibrahim, was one of
those. Mr. Siam's living room now is a monument to Ibrahim
and the 12 others, and he offered the view of many Israeli
Arabs when he said: "We didn't expect that Israel, which
claims to be a democracy, would kill its own people. I feel
like a stranger here now."

Mr. Siam said the Israeli government never apologized to him
or the other victims' families. Instead, frightened Jews began pulling away from the Israeli Arabs, who are almost wholly dependent on the Jewish population for their livelihoods.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/25/international/middleeast/25ISRA.html