Shas lawmaker blasts police over violent dispersal of Jerusalem Faction protest

Shas faction chair MK Yinon Azoulay sharply condemned police violence on Wednesday in the Knesset, after officers dispersed a Jerusalem Faction protest on Highway 4 near Bnei Brak. Azoulay said the footage from the scene showed that police had “crossed every red line” and that “it is not possible for police to use disproportionate force against protesters.”

He focused in particular on video showing Bnei Brak police station commander Lt. Cmdr. Yuval Shavit dragging a protester and tearing his pants. “The footage in which the Bnei Brak station commander is seen dragging a protester and tearing his pants is a shocking sight that cannot be ignored,” Azoulay said. He added, “There was only one thing missing, that they shot them in the head.”

The protest was a spontaneous morning demonstration by members of the Jerusalem Faction, who blocked the main traffic artery in response to the arrest of yeshiva students who had refused to report to enlistment offices. According to reports from the scene, the police response was especially harsh, with videos showing officers beating demonstrators, dragging people who were sitting on the road, and leaving some protesters bloodied and with torn clothes. Witnesses also said stun grenades were used unusually, including direct launches toward groups of protesters.

Azoulay ended by calling on National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Police Commissioner Danny Levy to intervene immediately, stop the violence, and ensure it does not happen again. The Israel Police said five protesters were arrested and eight received medical treatment, some of them evacuated to hospitals, and said the roadblock near Bnei Brak was an illegal demonstration. The Jerusalem Faction accused what it called “Ben Gvir’s police” of humiliating, uncontrolled violence and said the use of force would not break them.