Tel Aviv, Feb. 10 -- Israeli Arabs and Jews launched a series of nationwide protests on Tuesday demanding urgent government action to stem a deadly wave of violence in the country's Arab communities.

The protests, organized by families of murder victims together with the Jewish-Arab movement Standing Together, disrupted traffic and public spaces from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to Haifa and in the south, underscoring growing frustration over what participants describe as a persistent lack of personal security.

Demonstrations kicked off in Jaffa's Clock Square, with more protests planned in Jerusalem, Beer-Sheva, Lod, Tamra, and Jisr a-Zarqa. The day is scheduled to conclude with a large evening rally in Haifa.

As part of what organizers cal...