As ethnic violence rocks Israel, Arabs cite deep grievances
In mixed town of Lod, ‘civil war’
JERUSALEM — As rockets from Gaza streaked overhead, Arabs and Jews fought each other on the streets below and rioters torched vehicles, a restaurant and a synagogue in one of the worst spasms of communal violence Israel has experienced in years.
The mayor of the mixed town of Lod, which had the worst of the violence Tuesday, compared it to a “civil war” or a Palestinian uprising. Arab experts and activists say the violence was fueled by unrest in Jerusalem that has brought Israel to the brink of another Gaza war but is rooted in deeper grievances that go back to the founding of the state.
Violence flared again Wednesday night with a wave of apparent revenge attacks. In Bat Yam, a Tel Aviv suburb, a large crowd of ultranationalist Israelis pulled a man from a car who they thought was Arab and beat him until he lay on the ground motionless and bloodied. A hospital said he was in serious condition without identifying him.
Earlier, a group of blackclad Israelis smashed the windows of an Arab-owned ice cream shop in Bat Yam, and ultranationalists could be seen chanting, “Death to Arabs!” on live television during a standoff with Border Police. In the northern city of Tiberias, video uploaded to social media appeared to show flag-waving Israelis attacking a car.
Israel’s Channel 13 quoted a senior police officer as saying Arabs are suspected of attacking and seriously wounding a Jewish man in the coastal city of Acre amid new clashes there.
In a late night television interview, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, whose figurehead office is meant to serve as the nation’s moral compass, said the country was gripped by civil war and urged citizens to “stop this madness.”
The violence comes at a time when Israel’s Arab minority appeared to be gaining new acceptance and influence. Mansour Abbas, the head of an Arab party with Islamist roots, emerged as a kingmaker of sorts after March elections and was poised to play a key role in a coalition that would oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing allies.
But in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, Abbas indicated that coalition talks would be put on hold because of the escalating violence. “If there is a cease-fire, we will return to the political track to form a government,” he said.
In recent days, Arab citizens of Israel have held mass protests across the country over Israel’s policing of a key holy site in Jerusalem and plans to evict dozens of Palestinian families in the city after a legal campaign by Jewish settlers.
Adding to the tensions are increasingly powerful far-right groups in Israel that won seats in March elections and are allied with Netanyahu. In recent days, far-right politicians have visited the tense east Jerusalem neighborhood where the families are threatened with eviction and staged marches elsewhere in the bitterly contested city.
After police broke up a protest Monday night in Lod, a young Arab resident was shot and killed. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said that the man was with a group of rioters threatening Jewish homes, and that Jewish residents opened fire in a “lifethreatening situation.” Three people were detained for questioning, and police were investigating, Rosenfeld said. Arab residents of Lod disputed the account, pointing out that the slain man was unarmed.
His funeral the next day drew thousands of people and a heavy police presence.
Clashes broke out between the two sides, leading to riots in which several vehicles and a synagogue were set ablaze. A 56-year-old Jewish man was severely wounded when Arabs pelted his car with rocks, according to the Magen David Adom emergency service.
The violence quickly spread to other mixed communities across Israel. In neighboring Ramle, ultranationalist Jewish demonstrators vandalized Arab cars. In Acre, protesters torched Uri Buri, a famous Jewish-owned seafood restaurant. Magen David Adom said 46 people were wounded in the riots.