Israeli police are cracking down after a spate of roadside rock-throwing attacks from northern Arab communities.
Police said Sunday that 10 Israeli Arabs, among them minors and adults, had been arrested on suspicion of throwing rocks at motorists in several areas of the North, possibly in a show of solidarity with the Palestinians.
The attacks, which peaked over the weekend, damaged cars while causing no serious casualties. But they set off alarm bells in Jerusalem, where there is concern that a recent surge of fighting with the Palestinians could trigger widespread rioting by Israeli Arabs.
Police noted that the motorists affected by the rock throwing were as likely to be Arabs as Jews, and threatened to have perpetrators prosecuted for attempted murder, which carries a 20-year prison sentence.
Official data showed a 62 percent increase in Israeli Arab rock-throwing attacks between 2006 and 2007.
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