Israeli police have rounded up around 200 Jews and 400 Arabs in connection with violence in Arab areas of the Jewish state and in Jerusalem, police chief Yehuda Wilk said Tuesday.
"We have carried out around 600 arrests, 200 of them Jews and 400 Arabs. In around 100 cases, we have started legal proceedings to prolong their custody," he told a press conference in Jerusalem.
He said 200 members of the police force had been wounded and two killed in the spillover from troubles, which have raked the Palestinian territories since September 28.
The casualties were inflicted by demonstrators hurling stones and bottles or by gunfire in Akko, Nazareth and Jerusalem. At least 12 Arab Israelis had died, one of whom was hit by gunfire.
"Police have tried to avoid friction but have not managed to intervene in all Arab villages where troubles broke out. There has been provocation from both sides, Jewish and Arab," Wilk said.
He said the force was trained for dealing with civil disorder and denied discrimination between Jewish and Arab troublemakers - JERUSALEM (AFP)
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