Tiberias mayor attacked with bottles at memorial service
City council blames violence on social media incitement; property belonging to bereaved family also targeted
A man has been arrested in connection with an attack on the mayor of the northern city of Tiberias during a memorial service on Saturday evening.
The mayor, Yossi Ben-David, suffered light injuries and was hospitalized for observation overnight at the city’s Poriah Hospital after the suspect, 58, allegedly threw bottles at his head and shoulders, Hebrew media reported.
During the night, a car and a store entrance apparently belonging to the family that organized the memorial service were set alight and a Molotov cocktail was found at the entrance to the city council, evidently following an unsuccessful attempt to set that on fire too.
It was not immediately clear why the family or the mayor had been targeted. The suspect was charged with assault.
In a statement, the Tiberias council condemned the attack and said there was no doubt that the violence had resulted from “ongoing incitement” against the mayor on social media.