Joel B. Pollak
A mob of Arab citizens of Israel attempted to “lynch” a Jewish man in the mixed city of Acre on Wednesday, the latest incident of growing violence between Jews and Arabs in Israel itself after Palestinians fomented violence last week.
The Times of Israel reported:
In Acre, a Jewish man aged around 30 has been seriously wounded after being pelted with rocks by Arab rioters in what has been described as a lynching. He suffered a head injury.
Meanwhile, Jewish protesters in the city march and call out “Death to Arabs.”
Over the past several weeks, during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, there had been numerous instances of Arabs attacking Jews. After Arabs rioted at the Al-Aqsa Mosque last Friday, and Israeli police responded, rioting spread.
On Sunday evening, Arab residents of several mixed Arab-Jewish towns rioted. On Monday, in Lod, after an Arab man was shot and killed, Arab rioters launched a “pogrom,” attacking Jewish synagogues and stores, forcing officials to evacuate Jewish residents to safety.
On Tuesday, there were reprisal attacks by Jews in several cities. Jewish religious and political leaders denounced the violence. The Times of Israel reported Wednesday that the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel, Yitzhak Yosef, issued a statement:
“Innocent Israeli civilians are attacked by terror organizations, the blood runs hot and our hearts are outraged, the scenes are difficult to watch. But we mustn’t be dragged to provocations and to hurting people or harming property,” he says.
He adds that the Torah does not permit one to take the law into one’s own hands. “The work of restoring order must be left to police,” he says. “We must be a light unto the nations, and not, God forbid, the opposite.”
Far-right Jewish politician Bezalel Smotrich also condemned the violence: “My Jewish brothers, stop!” he said, as quoted by the Times. “We are not like them! We mustn’t come to this violence. Self-defense in the face of terror and rioters — yes; unprovoked violence and destruction of property — under no circumstances.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly wants to send the military into Jewish-Arab cities to maintain order, but Minister of Defense Benny Gantz does not.
