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Jun. 1, 2021 12:35 PM
Public Security Minister Amir Ohana said Monday that it is legitimate to call on armed Jews to protect Jewish communities in the city of Lod, which saw violent tensions erupt between Jewish and Arab residents during the previous escalation in Gaza.
Ohana was responding to a letter from Joint List MK Ofer Cassif, who said last week that a Lod city council member s call for armed Jews to protect the mixed city s residents constitutes incitement.
Ohana wrote in reply: I disagree that it is incitement. The call to citizens to defend themselves against their attackers, with the means of firearms for which they have a legal license, among others, is a legitimate call. He signed off his letter, There were times when Jews were defenseless and powerless against their attackers. Thank God those times have passed.
The police said they are investigating the incident.
In a separate incident, firebombs were thrown toward a Jewish home in the mixed Arab-Jewish city of Lod. There were no injuries from the incident, and only minor damage to the property.
Residents of the majority Chabad neighborhood said that they were prepared for such an incident in advance, and were able to extinguish the fire quickly. The police are investigating the attack.
On Friday, the family of Moussa Hassouna, a Lod resident who was shot during clashes between Arabs and Jews around three weeks ago, are also expected to hold a demonstration.
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The protest came amid fears of a renewed escalation in the mixed Arab-Jewish city, after firebombs were thrown toward a Jewish home on Thursday night. There were no injuries from the incident, and only minor damage to the property.
One of Hassouna s family members, who refused to disclose his name due to fear of the police, said we want justice to be done. It can t be that murderers are released after 48 hours. Yair Revivo [the mayor] is pressuring the police and the world, as though this protest is a security risk. He is saying that people are going to riot in the streets and will damage property, so the intelligence officer took it very seriously.