Residents of the city of Umm al-Fahm, within the Green Line, today, Sunday, succeeded in thwarting an attempt by the far-right Israeli Knesset member Zvi Sukkot to storm a number of schools and educational institutions in the city. This popular movement came after a firm decision taken by local committees to suspend school attendance and close doors to any provocative attempts aimed at harming the educational process.
Field sources reported that city residents demonstrated in large numbers in protest against the arrival of Sukkot, who was moving under heavy protection from Israeli police forces. Video documentation showed the Knesset member attempting to reach the entrances of the closed schools, amidst widespread chants and objections from residents who gathered to prevent this step, which they described as aggressive.
On Saturday, the local committee for students' parents and the popular committee in Umm al-Fahm held an emergency meeting, at the conclusion of which they announced a comprehensive strike in all schools and educational institutions, including special education frameworks. The committees affirmed that this decision was made to ensure the safety of students and teaching staff from any friction with settlers or occupation forces that provide protection to extremists.
Knesset member Zvi Sukkot, a member of the 'Religious Zionism' party, justified his attempt to storm the schools by 'examining the curricula,' claiming that they incite violence against Israel. These claims were rejected outright by national and educational bodies in Umm al-Fahm, considering them false accusations aimed at demonizing Arab education and exercising political censorship over it.
In their statement, the popular committees stressed that these actions are nothing but an attempt to exploit the educational system for electoral propaganda and to achieve personal political gains at the expense of the city's stability. They clarified that Umm al-Fahm schools adhere to lofty educational values, and that any interference by extremist right-wing elements constitutes a blatant violation of the privacy and sanctity of educational institutions.
It is worth noting that Zvi Sukkot has a record full of assaults and provocations, as he previously stormed the Al-Shabat Comprehensive School in occupied Jerusalem during the general secondary exams last Thursday. He also constantly participates in storming the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, making him one of the most prominent incitement figures in the current right-wing government led by Bezalel Smotrich.
The attempted storming represents a clear and rejected provocation to our schools, and it is an attempt to exploit educational institutions to achieve political, electoral, and personal propaganda.
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Residents of Umm al-Fahm Confront Attempt by Extremist Knesset Member to Storm City Schools