United Arab List (Ra'am) chairman Mansour Abbas arrived in Lod Sunday to visit a synagogue which was set on fire by Arab rioters last week.
Lod Mayor Yair Revivo was moved by Abbas' visit and told Kan News: "I think that the noble act of MK Abbas proves that he is moving towards a new kind of leadership that we so desperately need. Mansour has been a source for optimism throughout the past week."
Revivo added: "It is not something to be taken for granted that an Arab leader comes to a burned synagogue, condemns the act and takes care to rehabilitate it, I am very excited about it."
Abbas was asked how he felt when he stood in the burnt synagogue and said: '' It brings me back to the values of Islam. Even in wartime, Islamic values forbid harming holy places and just as we are angry and hurt when there is damage to mosques we are angry and hurt when harming synagogues, especially if it comes from Muslims because we are not like that, Islam is not like that and true Muslims are not like that."
According to him, those who attack synagogues act against the values of Islam. "Even in times of war we don't do that. It was a mistake by a minority, a small handful. I don't want to give them an alibi, but there is no place to accept this, especially with how we Muslims are hurt when there is damage to our mosques and there is unrest and anger. We also need to understand the other side so I came here to Lod, I sat with the Arab residents and visited the Great Mosque there."
"We must look ahead, rehabilitate the synagogues and holy places. It concerns our inner feelings, we must look ahead and restore the relationship, restore the infrastructure and the relationship between the peoples," Mansour Abbas added.