In May 2021, Israel's mixed Jewish-Arab cities exploded in violence. Streets in Lod, Haifa, Acre, Ramla, and Jerusalem became battlegrounds for clashes between Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs. At the time, the Israel Defense Forces were fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Israeli Arabs were upset.
By the time the operation in Gaza was over, four Israeli citizens—three Jews and one Arab—were dead, some of them lynch by mobs. Hundreds of people—Jews and Arabs—were injured and synagogues and storefronts were smashed or burned.
The riots left the country fractured. Arabs make up about 2 million of Israel's citizens and constitute 20 percent of the population. Most live in northern and southern Israel, many in mixed cities where you can find apartment buildings shared by Jews and Arabs.
The IDF was particularly disturbed by what had happened and decided to set up a new unit of reservists whose job would be to protect highways to ensure they remain open in future wars so troops, tanks, and ammunition can deploy to the front as needed.
One IDF general went so far as to........