In the nights of May 2021, many Israelis found themselves witnessing something they never believed could happen: Jews and Arabs attacking one another in the streets of Lod, Acre, Jaffa, Ramle, and elsewhere, while the state failed to restore order.

Property was torched, including synagogues. Civilians were assaulted. Neighbors who had lived side by side for years suddenly found themselves on opposite sides of a violent divide. Some called it riots. Others described it as the closest thing Israel had experienced to internal ethnic conflict. Whatever the label, it was one of the most serious domestic crises in the country’s history.

Five years have passed since then. Since May 2021, Israel has endured events far more devastating and traumatic. Yet the distance of time allows us to revisit those days and ask not only what happened then, but what lessons remain relevant today.

The events of May 2021 were a wake-up call. They demonstrated how national, social, and political tensions that constantly exist beneath the surface can converge at a particular moment and ignite widespread conflict between citizens. They reminded us that even in a country where Jews and Arabs work together, study together, provide and receive healthcare together, and share public spaces every day, there remains a parallel reality of suspicion, alienation, and mistrust that can erupt under the right conditions.

May 2021 was not the product of a single cause. It emerged from the dangerous convergence of several factors at once. The backdrop was the violent confrontation between Israel and Hamas. Added to this were the tensions surrounding Sheikh Jarrah and the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, which inflamed national and religious emotions. Social media amplified incitement, misinformation, and calls for revenge. Political leaders too often chose to inflame........

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