Netanyahu: We will bring rule of law to Israel’s cities with an iron fist
05/12/2021
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to crack down on rioters on Wednesday, after Arabs in mixed cities attacked their Jewish neighbors’ homes, synagogues and businesses.
“We are in a struggle on multiple fronts,” Netanyahu said on a visit to Acre. “Last night, after the discussions and decisions at the Defense Ministry about the Gaza Strip, I went to Lod at 2 a.m., another front that opened up with anarchy.”
Netanyahu pointed to the extra police and Border Patrol officers sent with emergency powers to Lod and Acre following the violence, and said the government will continue efforts to “stop the anarchy and bring back the rule of law to Israel’s cities with an iron fist if need be, with all the forces and authority necessary.”
The prime minister called the rioting “intolerable” and “recalls visions from the past,” a possible reference to pogroms or even Kristallnacht, as Lod’s Mayor Yair Ravivo said after a synagogue in the city was ransacked.
“We cannot accept that – certainly not in our state,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu also called on Arab leaders to condemn the violence and act to stop it, saying that Israelis are proud of coexistence and will not let others harm it.
“We will bring the cities back on track for integration, success and taking part in the Israeli wonder,” he stated. “Whoever thinks they can roll us back will not succeed.”
Read More: Jerusalem Post