Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz commented in a special interview on Kikar HaShabbat about the violent police response during a rally by reservists on Route 4. He said he had only seen a short clip and heard about the incident, but stressed that police conduct toward citizens should be restrained.
Gantz drew a sharp distinction between the military and police. “Unlike the army, which must use all possible force against its enemies, police facing their own citizens should use the minimum possible force, not the maximum,” he said.
At the same time, Gantz said protests can create disruption and discomfort for the public, and that demonstrators are expected to comply when police order them to move. He said, “We do not send them to the Negev mountain to shout,” but added that once police tell protesters to clear a road, they should do so.
He also criticized some of the protesters, saying, “What we are seeing here is completely different. The extremists are threatening the majority they came from.” The full interview was scheduled to air that evening on Kikar HaShabbat.
