ISTANBUL — Zein Khalil/Anadolu Agency

Arab citizens in the city of Rahat, southern Israel, organized a protest on Sunday against the visit of Knesset member Zvi Sukkot to a school, describing him as an "inciter and a criminal," according to Hebrew media.

Private Channel 15 reported that Sukkot, a member of the Religious Zionism party led by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, arrived in Rahat accompanied by police forces to visit Al-Najah High School, which is currently closed for summer break but hosts a summer camp for students.

The channel added that Sukkot, head of the parliamentary Education Committee, was carrying Israeli flags and was met with resentment and anger from residents, who described him as a "petty criminal who burns mosques and does not even have a high school diploma."

Residents questioned: "What can you teach our students when you have no academic qualifications?" according to the channel.

Residents also accused Sukkot of being an "inciter who came to engage in political propaganda at the expense of the residents."

The channel quoted Rahat Deputy Mayor Hassan al-Nasasra saying: "We came today to tell Zvi Sukkot that he is an unwelcome person here, because he came primarily to provoke and not to work or help."

Al-Nasasra added that Sukkot "does not have a high school diploma, academic qualifications, or any education, and therefore cannot be a positive role model for Rahat students."

Rahat is an Arab Bedouin city located in the far north of the Negev desert, about 12 kilometers from the city of Beersheba, covering an area of 42,000 dunams (a dunam equals 1,000 square meters), with a population of over 82,000, according to the city's official website and the Israeli government website.

For its part, private Channel 7 said: "Despite protest attempts, Sukkot's visit took place under the protection of reinforced forces from the Knesset Guard and Israeli police."

The channel quoted Sukkot as saying: "I will not allow the State of Israel to become a place where a Knesset member or committee chair cannot enter an Israeli city to perform his duties."

Despite the protest against his visit, he added: "Attempts at intimidation and violence will not deter me; the Education Committee will continue to reach any place where parliamentary oversight is necessary."

In recent weeks, Sukkot has stormed several Arab schools in Israel, claiming to monitor curricula, sparking a wave of outrage among residents.

Arab citizens make up more than 21% of Israel's population and say the Israeli government pursues a policy of discrimination against them.