Arabs and Jews Fighting ‘Civil War’ in Mixed Israeli Cities
A Jewish Israeli is in critical condition after being attacked by a mob of Arab Israelis in the mixed city of Acre in northern Israel. Meanwhile, an Arab man driving through the mixed central Israel city of Bat Yam was attacked and beaten by a Jewish mob, as several mixed Jewish and Arab cities throughout Israel convulsed with racist violence.
Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin called the situation a “civil war” in a called in statement to Israel’s Channel 12. He called on all Israelis to desist.
“I call on and beg of all local leaders, religious leaders, on citizens, on parents. Do all you can to stop this terrible thing that is happening before our eyes,” Rivlin said. “We are dealing with a civil war between us without any reason. Please stop this madness.”
Jewish extremists in Bat Yam smashed the windows of Arab-owned stores and chanted “death to Arabs” and “may your village burn,” according to reports. The violence also spread to the northern Israeli city of Haifa. Jewish rioters also took to the streets in Tiberias and in Lod, which has been the scene of two days of Arab violence against Jewish residents.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu also called for an end to the violence, saying in a recorded message: “I don’t care if your blood is boiling. So it’s boiling. It’s irrelevant. You can’t take the law into your own hands. You can’t come to an Arab civilian and try to lynch him, just as we can’t see Arab citizens do so to Jewish citizens. This will not stand.”
