2 Tayibe residents attacked in Binyamina
After 3 Arabs filed complaint with police for being beaten by Jews at Kiryat Haim beach in Haifa, 2 Tayibe residents who were moderately and lightly wounded say they were attacked by Jews because they are Arabs; police say incident not nationalistically motivated.
The incident follows the attack on three Arabs from Shfaram at at the Kiryat Haim beach in Haifa last week.
One of the complainants who suffered stabbing injuries in his upper body was moderately wounded, while the second one was stabbed in his hands and face and was lightly wounded.
Both Arabs were taken to the Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba. In addition, it was reported five Jews were wounded in the incident.
According to the police, all those involved in the violent clash are contractor workers employed in Binyamina.
The police siad that a fight broke out near an educational institution between infrastructures renovation workers.
An initial debrief that took place in Zichron Yaakov police station concluded that the spat occurred amid work seniority disagreement, and that the workers' origin had nothing to do with the incident.
Seven of those involved were evacuated to receive medical attention and an investigation had been launched into the matter.
However, Tayibe's residents claim the attack was nationalistically motivated. They also added that they did not know their assailants.
"This wasn't a fight. After a man had wanted to enter the premises we were working in, we asked him to move his car and he refused," they explained.
"Suddenly he began shouting "Arab terrorists." A woman accompanying him called the police and claimed we wanted to rape her. After a few minutes, several additional men arrived to the scene and one of them stabbed me," Tayibe's resident who was wounded in his upper body recalled.
"We fled the scene and came to the Kedma police station. When I entered the station I collapsed and an ambulance took me to the hospital," he went on to say.
"This could have ended in disaster. I could have been shot because they said I'm a terrorist," he lamented.
The Arab who was lightly wounded said, "I was surprised when the police said a fight broke out. The attack was nationalistically motivated. We didn't hurt anyone and we don't know the people that hit us."
"I wonder why the police are attempting to shake off all responsibility. This incident is severe, we saw death facing us," he lashed out.
