Arab Israeli protesters clash with police on 60th anniversary

Описание: (8 May 2008) SHOTLIST

1. Various of Arab Israelis marching with flags; UPSOUND chanting pro-Palestinian slogans
2. Unidentified woman making speech
3. Pan from right-wing Israelis to Israeli Arabs on other side of the road
4. Various of Arab Israelis chanting pro-Palestinian slogans
5. Various of police and Arab-Israelis pushing and shoving
6. Arab Israelis chanting
7. Various of crowd running away from tear gas
8. More of tear gas fired at crowd
9. Police walking at the scene
10. Man with wounded head

STORYLINE

A proud Israel celebrated its 60th independence day with picnics, air force flyovers and parachute jumps on Thursday, but the festivities were marred by a clash between Arab protesters and police.

Protesters and 11 police were hurt during a march by Israeli Arabs marking the flipside of independence day joy - the uprooting of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the 1948 war over Israel's creation.

The march highlighted the tensions between Israel's Jewish majority and Arab minority.

The clash took place after thousands were leaving the march. Police said protesters hurled rocks at them, and at cars on a nearby highway.

AP Television footage showed police firing tear gas at protesters chanting, "Palestine, Palestine" on the side of a highway.

On the other side, a small group of Israeli Jews gathered waving blue-and-white Israeli flags.

Protesters say they were provoked by right-wing Israelis yelling "death to the Arabs."

Five people were arrested, while five policemen and six protesters were injured, including an Arab member of Israel's parliament, the northern district's police chief and his deputy.

Israeli Arabs - the descendants of those Palestinians who remained on their land after Israel was created - now form some one-fifth of Israel's population of 7.28 (m) million.

They mostly define themselves as Palestinians who live in Israel, and remain a distinct and largely disadvantaged minority.

Israeli Arabs have one of the highest birthrates in the Mideast region, prompting Jewish fears that they'll one day outnumber them in Israel.

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