Israeli Arabs staged a one-day general strike Thursday in protest against the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet's decision to outlaw the Islamic Movement's Northern Branch over its incitement to violence. Higher Arab Monitoring Committee Chairman and former MK Mohammad Barakeh lauded the "unprecedented participation" of Arab businesses, schools and other establishments in the strike, saying the committee "will decide on other protest measures in the coming days." Despite the committee's praise, however, it appeared many businesses chose not to close their doors, and several local Arab municipalities defied the strike and continued to provide their services as usual. According to the Walla news website, while Arab-owned businesses in Jaffa remained open on Thursday, the Arab schools in the mixed city heeded the committee's call and closed their gates for the day. One Arab merchant was quoted as saying, "The Arabs in Jaffa are an inseparable part of Israel. We are very angry about the protests the Northern Branch staged here last month. It was very bad for business." Barakeh, formerly head of the Hadash party, urged the government "to read the situation clearly and abandon its attempts to impose divide and conquer policies. Outlawing the Northern Branch was a serious mistake, one I demand the government correct." The Higher Arab Monitoring Committee, he said, plans to hold mass protest rallies nationwide on Saturday, as well as two large conferences in northern Israel next week. "We want to reach the Jewish public, the Jewish conscience. They [Israelis] should know this was an arbitrary decision. One can agree or disagree with the Islamic Movement, but we will not allow outlawing it simply because it disputes government policy," he said. Ataf Muadi, who holds the education portfolio at the Higher Arab Monitoring Committee, criticized the decision as "radical." "This infringes on democracy, on freedom of expression, and on freedom of assembly," he said. "If there is evidence any [Northern Branch] member had broken the law than steps should be taken against that individual, but outlawing the movement as a whole is disproportionate. This was a drastic step, which defies all logic and undermines Israeli democracy." Barakeh vowed Thursday that the Arab sector will fight the decision to ban the Northern Branch, saying the general strike and the protest rallies were "only the first step. I urge the government to come to its senses and undo this unfortunate deed immediately."
