Three Molotov cocktails were thrown at the home of a Jewish family in Lod overnight Thursday. The mixed city has experienced weeks of unrest following unprecedented riots that prompted the government to declare a civilian state of emergency.
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The property was damaged, but nobody was hurt, and the family managed to put out the fire. The Israel Police have opened an investigation into the incident.
Also in Lod, a complaint has been filed with the police against Sheik Yusuf Elbaz, imam of the local Great Mosque, on the grounds of incitement. Elbaz is a vocal opponent of the outlawed Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement, which is considered more radical.
The Northern Branch was outlawed by the government in 2015 due to its leaders inciting to violence and terrorism against Jewish Israelis. Some members of the branch have even carried out terror attacks, including the one on the Temple Mount in 2017, in which two Israeli policemen were killed.
The complaint cited several of Elbaz's social media posts in which he vowed to bring death upon the "Zionist occupation" and called Israel "an enemy state."
In one post, he wrote, "I am a blessed son and a faithful son of the Islamic movement. The sheikh of the movement [Sheikh Kamal Khatib] is my leader." Elbaz declined to comment.
In related news, an indictment has been filed in Nazareth against Khatib himself, for incitement to terrorism, incitement to violence, and supporting a terrorist organization. He is the deputy chairman of the northern branch and an influential figure in the Arab Israeli public.
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