A number of Arab students living in the dormitories at Tel Aviv University refused to honor the one-minute siren that sounded on Tuesday evening to mark the beginning of Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism, several students reported.
According to the students, some of the Arabs expressed joy during the somber minute of silene in memory of Israel's fallen. Others continued riding their bikes or kept up conversations, rather than standing silently as is the custom nationwide for the duration of the siren.
A post published on the dormitory Facebook page was directed at the students who violated the minute of silence.
"You, who couldn't stand for one minute. Show respect for one minute. It was so important for you to keep smoking, riding your bikes, or talking with your friends while walking. Remember, without those who are no longer with us, you wouldn't have a country," it said.
Jewish students called the failure to observe the minute of silence a demonstration of blatant contempt. Arab students, meanwhile, wrote posts in which they claimed that Jewish students do not honor Nakba ("Catastrophe") Day, which commemorates the displacement of Palestinian refugees during Israel's War of Independence.
One student at Tel Aviv University said, "I'm in shock at what I saw and heard. The Arab students were sitting around the ornamental pool in the dorm courtyard, smoking and laughing loudly, talking on their cell phones, riding bikes. And when we wrote about it on the dorm Facebook page, they answered that on their Nakba Day (which falls on Israeli Independence Day), we have cookouts."
Meanwhile, Arab residents of the mixed-population cities Ramle and Lod, as well as residents of Kafr Qassem, reportedly set off firecrackers during the siren, causing considerable upset.
Lod Mayor Yair Revivo said in response, "The people who did it will regret this day; they'll pay heavily for it."
