Tensions rise in Lod after right-wing activists' tour and clashes

Lod faces renewed tensions five years after the 2021 Guardian of the Walls clashes, following a right-wing activists' tour and subsequent clashes between Jewish activists and Arab residents, with one teenager hospitalized.

Five years after the events of Operation Guardian of the Walls, tensions are again rising in Lod. Attorney Khaled Azbarga, a member of the popular committee in the city, warns in an interview with Walla that a small incident could ignite the city and the entire country. According to him, for three weeks residents warned about provocative behavior by right-wing activists, but the police ignored them. He describes incidents where armed young men arrived at a mosque plaza and danced while chanting incitement, and the next day operated in the market area with chants of "may your village burn" and support for Ben Gvir. Azbarga claims the police arrested Arab youths who tried to verbally confront them. Yesterday (Sunday), a governance march of activists affiliated with Otzma Yehudit took place, ending in clashes and the arrest of 11 involved, seven of them Arabs. Azbarga accuses politicians of fueling tensions and calls on the state to intervene. The police have not yet responded.