Israel imposes curfew on Arab-Jewish city as protests intensify
The central city of Lod is under a state of emergency, and residents are banned from leaving their homes Wednesday night.
Police in Israel are placing the central city of Lod under curfew following two nights of deadly clashes between Jewish and Arab residents.
From 8 p.m. on Wednesday until 4 a.m. Thursday morning, people in Lod are banned from leaving their homes and non-residents cannot enter the city. Exceptions to the curfew will be made for residents in need of medical attention or seeking shelter from rockets.
Lod, a city near Tel Aviv, has a mixed Jewish and Arab population. Musa Hasuna, a 25-year-old Arab resident, was reportedly shot and killed in Lod on Tuesday while protesting in solidarity with the Palestinians of East Jerusalem and Gaza. Army Radio reports a 34-year-old resident was arrested in connection with the shooting.
Heavy riots followed Hasuna’s funeral on Tuesday, with shops, cars, synagogues and a Muslim cemetery set ablaze. Police responded with stun grenades to Arab protesters hurling rocks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a state of emergency in Lod and vowed to use “an iron fist if needed.”
