For the fifth time within a week, Jewish extremists on Thursday protested outside the Tel Aviv apartment building of Arab Israeli journalist Lucy Aharish, as police opened an investigation after she reported being the target of a far-right hate campaign.

Participants were heard chanting, “May your village burn,” “Lucy you’re a w**re” and “Leftists are traitors.”

There were no reports of arrests. During a rally outside Aharish’s home a day earlier, police arrested two suspects before releasing them conditionally, a police spokesperson told AFP, adding that an “investigation is underway.”

Many of the protest organizers have been associated with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party. The premier has yet to address the demonstrations. Aharish has said Netanyahu shared the blame for the threats against her.

The anger at Aharish was sparked by a statement she made on Channel 13 earlier this month, where she pointed to the “righteous anger” of Arab Israelis due to perceived government inaction over the crime wave that has claimed the lives of hundreds in the community in recent years.

Arab citizens, she said, in the next elections will “flock to the voting booths” to bring a change in government, and added the Arabic word “Inshallah,” meaning “God willing.”

Aharish, born to Muslim parents, speaks flawless Hebrew and was the first Arab to anchor a Hebrew-language program on Israeli television.

She said she has received numerous threatening messages from the right and far-right since she made her remarks on February 1.

גם הערב הגיעו תומכי הממשל להטריד את לוסי אהריש מתחת לביתה. המשטרה איפשרה להם להיות מתחת לבניין זמן רב. למעשה חלק מהזמן ועד להגעת קצין שוטרי מג״ב ישבו ברכב. בין הקריאות: ״שמאלנים בוגדים״ ״שישרף לכם הכפר״ ו״מוות לשמאלנים״. אדם ששמע את קריאות שמאלנים בוגדים הגיע לרועי סטאר התווכח… pic.twitter.com/aKUPp975Ej — Bar Peleg (@bar_peleg) February 26, 2026

גם הערב הגיעו תומכי הממשל להטריד את לוסי אהריש מתחת לביתה. המשטרה איפשרה להם להיות מתחת לבניין זמן רב. למעשה חלק מהזמן ועד להגעת קצין שוטרי מג״ב ישבו ברכב. בין הקריאות: ״שמאלנים בוגדים״ ״שישרף לכם הכפר״ ו״מוות לשמאלנים״.

אדם ששמע את קריאות שמאלנים בוגדים הגיע לרועי סטאר התווכח… pic.twitter.com/aKUPp975Ej

— Bar Peleg (@bar_peleg) February 26, 2026

Amid the harassment of Aharish,  dozens of Israelis on Thursday staged a parallel protest in support of her outside Channel 13’s studios.

Participants included Einav Zangauker, the mother of former hostage Matan, who wore a shirt with “Inshallah” written in Hebrew.

Aharish was vocal in her support of the hostages and other victims of Hamas’s October 7 onslaught over the past two-plus years.

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