‘May your village burn’: Jewish extremists protest at Arab journalist’s home for 5th time this week

For the fifth time within a week, Jewish extremists on Thursday protested outside the Tel Aviv apartment building of Arab Israeli journalist Lucy Aharish, as police opened an investigation after she reported being the target of a far-right hate campaign.

Participants were heard chanting, “May your village burn,” “Lucy you’re a whore” and “Leftists are traitors.”

There were no reports of arrests. During a rally outside Aharish’s home a day earlier, police arrested two suspects before releasing them conditionally, a police spokesperson told AFP, adding that an “investigation is underway.”

Many of the protest organizers have been associated with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party. The premier has yet to address the demonstrations. Aharish has said Netanyahu shares the blame for the threats against her.

Aharish raised the ire of the right wing as a critic of the government and an Arab woman with a Jewish partner, “Fauda” star Tsahi Halevi. Her detractors were riled further when she delivered a February 1 television monologue panning the coalition over its response, or lack thereof, to the wave of deadly violence sweeping the Arab community.

She pointed to the “righteous anger” of Arab Israelis due to perceived government inaction over the crime wave. Arab citizens, she said, in the next elections will “flock to the voting booths” to bring a change in government, and added the Arabic word “Inshallah,” meaning “God willing.”

Aharish, born to Muslim parents, speaks flawless Hebrew and was the first Arab to anchor a Hebrew-language program on Israeli television. Aharish lit a torch at the state Independence Day ceremony in 2015.

גם הערב הגיעו תומכי הממשל להטריד את לוסי אהריש מתחת לביתה. המשטרה איפשרה להם להיות מתחת לבניין זמן רב. למעשה חלק מהזמן ועד להגעת קצין שוטרי מג״ב ישבו ברכב. בין הקריאות: ״שמאלנים בוגדים״ ״שישרף לכם הכפר״ ו״מוות לשמאלנים״.

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Amid the harassment of Aharish, dozens of Israelis on Thursday staged a parallel protest in support of her outside Channel 13’s studios.

Participants included Einav Zangauker, the mother of former hostage Matan, who wore a shirt with “Inshallah” written in Hebrew.

Aharish was vocal in her support of the hostages and other victims of Hamas’s October 7 onslaught over the past two-plus years.

Halevi, who served hundreds of days in reserve duty over the past two years, fought in border communities amid the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, onslaught, and is widely credited with saving dozens of lives. Aharish, who due to her high-profile position received multiple pleas for help from those trapped during the attack, helped direct forces to reach and rescue them.