Police have arrested two suspects in an assault on a yeshiva director on a Jaffa street Sunday afternoon and launched an investigation into the attack. Both suspects are Arab Israelis in their 30s who live in Jaffa.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
Mali said later Sunday that he was doing well, "other than a few minor bruises."
"I hope that the media echo will help the police handle all the recent attacks and harassment," the rabbi said. "However, we must be careful not to get dragged into another cycle of violence in Jaffa," Mali warned his community.
The attack drew responses from the political echelon. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "I absolutely condemn today's violent attack against Rabbi Eliyahu Mali, head of the Shirat Moshe Yeshiva, in Jaffa."
Netanyahu said he thanked the security forces for quickly arresting the suspects and said he expected them to be brought to justice.
Yamina leader Naftali Bennett tweeted: "Israel is not a shtetel in which Jews can be attacked. The gross violence against Rabbi Eliyahu Mali, head of a hesder yeshiva in Jaffa, is a national disgrace. We are seeing a series of intentional, antisemitic attacks by Arab rioters against religious Jews."
Bennett's Yamina colleague MK Ayelet Shaked said, "If an antisemitic incident like this happened somewhere else, we wouldn't ignore it. Deterrence, deterrence, and more deterrence!"
MK Yoaz Hendel (New Hope) said, "The ethno-religious attacks against Jews in Haredi dress in recent weeks are a disgrace to a sovereign state, the result of long-term neglect of internal security infrastructure and a lack of governability."
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
The Jaffa assault comes on the heels of two incidents of Haredi Jews being attacked in Jerusalem last week. In one case, an Arab Israeli was filmed slapping a Haredi man on the Jerusalem light train. The clip was uploaded to TikTok and caused outrage.
Meanwhile, the spate of recent violence between Arab Israelis and Jews led to violent clashes in several places across the country. On Sunday, a few dozen Jews gathered to protest the attacks, facing off against a few dozen Arab Israelis.
The Jewish protesters carried placards bearing slogans such as "Am Yisarel Chai" and "We won't be defeated so easily." The Arab protesters called, "Jaffa for Jaffa-ites," and "Settlers go home!" The Arab protesters also sang that they would "redeem Jaffa through blood and spirit."
Police kept the two groups apart, but at one point the Arab demonstrators began throwing rocks and shooting fireworks at the Jews, and the cavalry were called in. Three rioters were arrested and two police officers were lightly wounded.
Similar clashes played out at Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem, and police on the scene came under attack. Five suspects were arrested on suspicion of rioting.
