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  Thousands of Israeli Arabs Protest Attack
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ContributorPenguin 
Last EditedPenguin  Mar 04, 2006 03:31pm
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MediaWebsite - Yahoo News
News DateSaturday, March 4, 2006 09:00:00 PM UTC0:0
DescriptionNAZARETH, Israel - Thousands of Israeli Arab protesters marched through the streets of this biblical town Saturday demanding better protection for holy sites after a troubled family set off firecrackers inside a major Christian shrine.

The emotional reaction to the attack on the Basilica of the Annunciation reflected the fragile status of Israel's Arab minority, which has long claimed it suffers discrimination at the hands of the Jewish majority.

Many participants accused the government of failing to prevent the attack, and rejected the official claim that Friday's attack was driven by personal distress, and not politically motivated.

An Israeli couple accompanied by their daughter interrupted a Lent prayer service by exploding firecrackers in the basilica, one of Christianity's most revered sites. The attack caused only light damage, but set off a riot that injured two dozen people, including 13 police officers.

Police said the man involved in the attack, Haim Eliyahu Habibi, has financial problems and apparently is not a Jewish extremist. Habibi's Christian wife, Violet, and their 20-year-old daughter were treated at a hospital before being taken into custody early Saturday.
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