Arab Israelis protested and held a general strike on Thursday to call on police to stop a wave of violence in their communities, a situation the country's president labelled a "national emergency".
Arab Israeli lawmakers boycotted the swearing in of the new parliament in solidarity with the strike and protesters, who accuse police of neglecting their communities and allowing crime and violence to flourish there.
"Since the beginning of September, 14 Arabs have been killed, leaving 31 orphans behind," said Ayman Odeh, head of the mainly Arab Joint List alliance in parliament. "Since 2000, 1,385 Arabs have been killed."