Lod Mayor Cites Outside Extremists After Clashes Lead to 11 Arrests

Police in Lod arrested 11 people during the early hours of Monday after violent clashes erupted between Jewish and Arab residents. Authorities described the incident as a disruption of the peace that resulted in several injuries before officers dispersed the groups. All 11 detainees were released following questioning.

Mayor Yair Revivo blamed the unrest on a group of outsiders who traveled to the city to stir up trouble. He stated that the group advertised their activities online and recruited approximately 20 local boys. According to Revivo, the local participants returned to their homes shouting insults at Arab residences after the police broke up the initial group. This provocation prompted Arab residents to step outside, leading to a violent fight.

Far-right activist Mordechai David, an associate of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, was among those involved in the events. David, who maintains a large social media following, posted about the night on Instagram. He claimed that local residents had contacted him for help following a series of unspecified attacks on Jewish residents. David described his group as marching through Arab neighborhoods to assert Jewish presence in a non-threatening manner. He emphasized that his group was singing songs such as 'Am Yisrael Chai' and did not instigate the violence.

David was summoned for police questioning on Monday regarding the incident. In a video posted online, he addressed the possibility of future large-scale events. He said that residents had proposed organizing a gathering of 500 to 1,000 people for the following week, but he rejected the idea. David stated that such a large event could drag the city into another cycle of riots, similar to those seen in the past.

The Mossawa Center, an advocacy group for Arab citizens in Israel, issued a statement blaming the violence on professional provocateurs. The organization alleged that some of the instigators work for right-wing parties. It described the events as a worrying sign of an intention to escalate tensions in mixed cities to prevent an orderly transfer of power.

Both the mayor and the activist referenced the riots in May 2021 during Operation Guardian of the Walls, a period marked by extreme violence in Lod. Revivo expressed frustration at allowing figures like David into the city, noting that the situation came close to spiraling out of control again. David countered that he preferred a smaller, controlled presence to avoid the scale of provocation that characterizes larger events.

Revivo contacted the Shin Bet, the Israel Security Agency, to request immediate assistance. The agency is expected to help prevent further unrest in the city in the coming days.