Following lead of self-immolating protestor, 2nd Israeli man sets himself on fire due to debts

JERUSALEM — Israeli police says a second Israeli man has set himself on fire after falling on hard times.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said a man in his late 40s set himself ablaze Sunday near a bus stop in central Israel. Onlookers tried to extinguish the flames. He was rushed to the hospital with severe burns.

The man’s brother told Israeli media he faced large debts and warned his family he would follow in the footsteps of Moshe Silman, who set himself on fire at a protest against Israel’s high cost of living last week. Silman later died of his wounds and was buried Sunday.

Cases of self-immolation as a form of protest are extremely rare in Israel, but Rosenfeld said four Israelis have attempted or threatened it since Silman’s act.

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