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Memorial Day Marred Only by Incident in Golan Heights

May 10, 1989
See Original Daily Bulletin From This Date
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Police used tear gas and rubber bullets Tuesday to disperse some 200 rock-throwing high-school students in the Druse village of Mas’ada in the Golan Heights.

Several police officers were hurt by rocks. The students, protesting Israel’s presence in the Golan, annexed from Syria in 1980, hauled down the Israeli flag from the school building and tore it to shreds.

Ya’acov Ganot, commander of police in the northern district, said those responsible would be punished.

It was the only serious disorder in Israel as the nation observed Memorial Day for its war dead.

In the mixed Jewish-Arab city of Acre, on Haifa Bay, an Arab youth was arrested for allegedly shouting “it serves you right” at Jews observing a minute of silence for fallen soldiers.

Nearly a million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip were under curfew, which is not expected to be lifted until Wednesday night, the end of Independence Day.

Tuesday began the 18th month of the Palestinian uprising and was marked by another Arab general strike.

A Palestinian youth was killed Monday and two others were wounded in a clash with Israeli soldiers in the West Bank town of Salfit.

The trouble began when youths ambushed soldiers entering the village with rocks. The soldiers opened fire, hitting three of them. One died on the way to the hospital.

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