In mixed Israel cities proud of good relations, a sudden, explosive division
14 May, 2021 07:00 AM
6 minutes to read
Burned out vehicles in Lod, Israel, after a night of violence. Photo / AP
New York Times
By: Mona El-Naggar
Not even during the intifadas, the mass Palestinian uprisings of the past, did Israel experience such a surge of both Arab and Jewish mob violence. The Arabs and Jews of Lod, one of the most closely mixed cities in Israel, have been through many upheavals. But they had never before seen the kind of intercommunity violence that unfolded here over the past three days.
âWe were good neighboursâ: Mixed Israeli cities baffled by sudden street fighting
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Lod, Israel: The Arabs and Jews of Lod, one of the most closely mixed cities in Israel, have been through many upheavals. But they had never before seen the kind of inter-community violence that unfolded here over the past three days.
Angry Arab youths rioted this week after police violence at al-Aqsa mosque in Old Jerusalem spilt over into conflict with the Gaza Strip. They began burning synagogues and cars, throwing stones and letting off sporadic rounds of gunfire. Gangs of Jewish extremist vigilantes, some called in from out of town, started a counter-attack, setting their own fires.
Arab-Jewish coexistence in Israel suddenly ruptured.
A burnt vehicle is seen after violent confrontations between Israeli Arab demonstrators and police in Lod, Israel, on Wednesday.Credit.Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
May 13, 2021, 12:45 p.m. ET
LOD, Israel The hulks of burned out cars and trucks litter the streets of the mixed Arab-Jewish town of Lod, the epicenter of three nights of violence inside Israeli cities that have fed fears the country could be careening toward a civil war.
When the violence spread on Monday from the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem to Gaza, an uneasy coexistence in Lod, deep inside central Israel, abruptly ruptured.
In Mixed Israel Cities Proud of Good Relations, a Sudden, Explosive Division
Not even during the intifadas, the mass Palestinian uprisings of the past, did Israel experience such a surge of both Arab and Jewish mob violence.
A restaurant in Acre, Israel, was heavily damaged in an attack on Wednesday night.Credit.Jalaa Marey/Agence France-Presse Getty Images
May 13, 2021
LOD, Israel The Arabs and Jews of Lod, one of the most closely mixed cities in Israel, have been through many upheavals. But they had never before seen the kind of intercommunity violence that unfolded here over the past three days.