MK Yakov Litzman (UTJ), Special Committee for Public Petitions Chairman MK Yaakov Tesler (UTJ), and MK Moshe Abutbul (Shas) on Tuesday condemned Arad Mayor Nissan Ben Hamo for not attending the committee meeting on the arson attacks against Haredi-owned stores in the city of Arad.
Thousands of Gur Chassidim gathered on October 19 in Arad, a southern city located on the border of the Negev and the Judean Deserts, between the Dead Sea and Beer Sheva, to protest the arson of Haredi-owned businesses in the city’s commercial center, as well as what they said was the ongoing incitement against the Haredi public. The protest took place even though the suspected arsonist, a 17-year-old boy, had nothing to do with hatred for the city’s Haredim.
MK Yaakov Litzman (UTJ) spoke against Mayor Ben Hamo at the rally, and said that “if it weren’t for the Haredim in Arad, the city would have long ago been turned into the capital of the Sudanese.” He was referring to the illegal Sudanese migrants who more than ten years ago infiltrated Israel and have remained in the country ever since.
“Following the incitement of the mayor from Yesh Atid, we are witnessing the violent outbreak and the burning of the shops,” Litzman told the demonstrators, adding, “I call on everyone to strengthen those who have been harmed, buy from them and back them up,” and, “We must make an effort to settle another 1,500 families in Arad.”
During the Knesset committee meeting, Haredi Arad residents accused the mayor of inciting against the Haredi public. MK Tesler said Mayor Ben Hamo is responsible for the burning of the Haredi-owned stores, while MK Litzman said, “We will file complaints with the police. The mayor is a big criminal.”
Arad Municipality Director-General Gershon Amel said there are no specific sectors in the city that are discriminated against, and stressed that all the city’s residents should have a sense of personal security.
Outgoing Arad Police Station commander Chief Superintendent Guy Hayun said the attacks cannot be linked to incitement against the Haredi population in the city.
Mayor Ben Hamo made curbing the Haredi settlement in Arad, particularly the Gur Chassidim, a top priority since he took office in 2015. One of his campaign promises was to send the Haredi city council elected officials in Arad to the opposition – which he implemented. He has been a staunch enemy of the Gur movement in Arad, but at the same time managed to reduce the tension between the Haredi and non-Haredi population in the city. He also increased radically the quality of secular education in Arad schools, for which he received the National Education Prize.
Ben Hamo also dealt with the employment crisis he inherited by convincing Elbit, one of Israel’s biggest producers of electronic warfare products, to open a plant in the city. He was reelected in 2018 with 63% of the votes.