Unknown assailants attack controversial Tiberias mayor on city street
Police detain a suspect for assaulting Ron Cobi, who has drawn ire of ultra-Orthodox community for easing Shabbat restrictions
The controversial mayor of the northern city of Tiberias, Ron Cobi, was attacked in the city on Thursday night by several assailants.
Police who arrived on the scene arrested at least one suspect. The force said it expected to arrest additional suspects and that the background of the incident was being investigated.
In March, one resident of the city was indicted for sending Cobi threatening messages, and another was arrested for threatening to murder him, Channel 12 reported.
Dubbed the “Donald Trump of the north” by Israeli media over his combative style, Cobi swept into local office in the fall of 2018 on a campaign that focused on the growing ultra-Orthodox community and its influence in the city, highlighted in a series of frequently foul-mouthed and menacing Facebook live videos.
He quickly went on to become the bête noire of the Haredi community after launching free bus lines on Saturdays in the city and expanding entertainment and commercial enterprises permitted to open on the Jewish day of rest, while pledging to restrict housing projects for ultra-Orthodox residents.
In March, Union of Right-Wing Parties’ Bezalel Smotrich accused Cobi of anti-Semitism.
Cobi faces a possible ouster from local office over his failure to pass the city’s budget multiple times. In September, he unsuccessfully ran in the national elections to enter the Knesset.
The Times of Israel Community.