Shas MK Yoav Ben-Tzur accused Israeli police of maintaining a selective and discriminatory enforcement policy, claiming police use loudspeakers to address Kaplan protestors but batons and stun grenades against Haredi demonstrators. He called on the Minister of Internal Security to investigate police policy, adding that protesters are not terrorists and that the blood of Haredim is not free, according to journalist Eli Hirschman on N12.
Shas MK Yoav Ben-Tzur on Wednesday morning joined a growing chorus of ultra-Orthodox politicians accusing Israeli police of disproportionate force in dispersing Haredi protests. In a statement published by N12 journalist Eli Hirschman, Ben-Tzur alleged a double standard: Kaplan protestors are addressed via loudspeaker, while Haredi demonstrators face batons and stun grenades. He demanded that Internal Security Minister Moshe Arbel investigate the policy today, adding, 'These are protestors, not terrorists. The blood of Haredim is not free.'
Ben-Tzur's remarks follow a similar statement Tuesday by UTJ MK Meir Porush, who called on Police Commissioner Danny Levi to resign and compared the dispersal tactics to those in Turkey and Iran, as The Zioneer reported at 09:45 this morning. Over the past week, at least four other MKs and a commentator have made comparable accusations against police conduct during Haredi demonstrations, which have grown amid tensions over the military draft law and arrests of draft evaders. Police maintain they are enforcing the law and have denied claims of selective enforcement. The minister has not yet publicly responded to Ben-Tzur's call for an immediate investigation.
- DevelopingJournalist Yotam Zamir accuses police of excessive violence against Haredi protesters
- StrongJournalist Yishai Cohen accuses police of selective, violent enforcement against Haredi protesters
- DevelopingAmit Segal: Police selectively enforce against Jerusalem faction while normalizing road blocks by others
- DevelopingShas chairman Deri slams Ben Gvir: 'Wake up' — police act against Torah learners, not anarchists
Source and signal
- Internal intake