Jewish and Palestinian Mobs Dueled in Israeli Towns — But the Crackdown Came for One Side

AS THE WORLD fixated on the exchange of rocket fire and airstrikes over the Gaza-Israel barrier, violence was escalating inside Israel proper. Palestinian protests, in support of their kin, erupted on both sides of the Green Line that separates the occupied Palestinian territories from internationally recognized Israeli territory. In Israel’s “mixed” cities, clashes between Palestinian and Jewish citizens intensified, exposing existing internal fault lines. Mob violence and rioting spread to places like Lod, Haifa, and Yafa.

The latest round of escalations in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has seen an unusual surge in...