Sami Ziadna, who died as a result of excessive tear gas inhalation on Jaunary 18, was the 50th Palestinian citizen of Israel to be killed by Israeli police since October 2000.
Then, as protests spread throughout Palestinian communities in Israel, 13 unarmed demonstrators were shot and killed by police officers in northern Galilee.
About 1.7 million Palestinians carry Israeli citizenship, but dozens of discriminatory laws stifle their political expression and limit their access to state resources, including land and education.
Ziadna was killed during a funeral procession for Sami Jaar, a 22-year-old Palestinian Bedouin who was shot and killed on January 14 by Israeli police as they clashed with local youth.
Palestinians in Israel held a nationwide general strike on January 20 and protests have continued in several cities. A three-day general strike shut down business-as-usual the Naqab, where Ziadna and Jarr were killed.
[Abridged from Electronic Intifada.]
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