The heads of 12 Druze and one Circassian local council decided yesterday to escalate their protests against what they call "leaving the Druze behind" and hold a mass rally in front of the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem on Sunday.
The 13 local heads began their protests last Sunday and promised to empty their villages of residents next week in order to participate in the rally in Jerusalem.
The Druze and Circassians are demanding rights equal to those of Israel's Jewish citizens.
On Monday, Druze and Circassian protesters clashed with police at the Finance Ministry in Jerusalem and damaged a number of vehicles in the ministry parking lot.
Among the local councils participating in the protests are those of well known villages on the Carmel Mountains near Haifa, such as Daliat al-Carmel and Osfiya.
For the first time in their history of protest, the Druze leadership chose to hire an outside strategist to organize their efforts. They are using the services of Yossi Leibowitz, who in the past has served as media adviser to Histadrut Labor Federation Chair MK Amir Peretz. The appearance of the Druze flag during the protests was another first.
In light of the past record of Druze protests, particularly one demonstration in Jerusalem in 1995 where the number of injured reached several dozen, the struggle is also expected to be violent.
Leibowitz said that he believes that "all means are legitimate to reach the goal.