The Israeli Prime Minister made the trip to Lod, in the suburbs of Tel Aviv, on Wednesday, May 12. Benyamin Netanyahu declared a state of emergency there. Late Monday evening, this mixed city – 77,000 inhabitants, including 47,000 Jews and 23,000 Arabs – had been the scene of violent clashes after the death, the day before, of an Israeli Arab.
Descendants of Palestinians who remained on their land after the creation of the Jewish state in 1948, Arab Israelis make up about 20% of Israel’s population, but regularly claim to be victims of discrimination.
But Tuesday evening, while the demonstrations multiplied in East Jerusalem, in the West Bank but also in Israeli Arab towns, the situation degenerated in this city, according to the police. “Large-scale riots broke out at the hands of some Arab residents, endangering the inhabitants, the police said in a statement. Vehicles were set on fire and property damaged. “
And to back up local police, the government has deployed border police units based in the occupied West Bank, after Israeli media reports said three synagogues and several businesses were set on fire in that town. “Sixteen border police platoons have been deployed in the area in order to manage the violence”, the Israeli police reported overnight.
More than 700 Palestinians have been injured since Friday
Scenes of violence also took place in other Israeli Arab localities, such as Acre or Wadi Ara, or Jisr A-Zarqa, near Haifa, where eight people were arrested, according to police.
The demonstrations, the degradations and the clashes in the Israeli Arab towns began in the wake of the clashes in recent days in East Jerusalem, and more particularly at the Esplanade des Mosques. More than 700 Palestinians have been injured since Friday in clashes with Israeli police who used stun grenades and rubber bullets in Islam’s third holiest site.
The Islamist movement Hamas, in power in Gaza, announced on Wednesday firing more than 200 rockets, including “110 rockets towards the metropolis of Tel Aviv” and “100 rockets” to the town of Beersheva, “In retaliation for the resumption of strikes against buildings inhabited by civilians”.
