Three Arab laborers from the administered territories, who were on their way to work in Israel, were injured by flying glass Wednesday when the bus they were riding was stoned near the village of Shuweika in the Tulkarm region.
The incident occurred on the first day of a two-day strike called by leaders of the uprising to commemorate some 250 Arabs they claim were killed in the “intifada.”
The incident proved that while the intifada leadership cannot force the area population to confront soldiers, they can ensure the observance of strikes.
A call Tuesday for the Arabs to throw firebombs at soldiers, in what was described as “Molotov Cocktail Day,” was ignored, but Wednesday’s call for a general strike in the territories was largely observed.
All stores were closed on the West Bank, Arab transportation was shut down and few Arab workers left for their jobs in Israel.
Military sources said the workers did not stay home willingly, but were pressured to stay away from their jobs.
In several villages around Hebron, activists prevented laborers from boarding buses for Israel, and activists stoned buses carrying workers who boarded them.
In the Gaza Strip, most Arab workers reported to work Wednesday. The commercial strike was only partially observed there.
In Tel Aviv, alert residents called the police bomb disposal squad when they noticed a suspicious package hidden behind cooking gas cylinders in a quiet street in the northern part of the city. The explosive charge was dismantled without causing casualties or damage to property.
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