Studio clash over police violence at Haredi protests and draft enforcement

A heated argument broke out on Channel 12 News over police violence at protests by ultra-Orthodox demonstrators. Commentator Israel Cohen sharply criticized what he called the silence of the Religious Zionist camp in the face of the images from the protests, saying on air to reporter Bini Ashkenazi that the “great disgrace” was that silence. He argued that those who once expected Haredim to stand with them during the disengagement and when settlers were beaten now “say nothing” when police use harsh force against Haredim.

Cohen warned that the policy of forcing military enlistment through arrests and sanctions does not bring ultra-Orthodox Jews closer to service. Instead, he said, it pushes the mainstream toward more extreme positions and strengthens identification with the Jerusalem Faction. He said the protests could grow dramatically if the trend continues, predicting that “instead of hundreds blocking roads, there will be tens of thousands.”

He also said, “The writing is on the wall and a murder could happen here. The blood of the Haredi public has been permitted.” Cohen added that the police officers who, he alleged, tore the trousers of yeshiva students should be prosecuted on suspicion of harassment. In response, Eli Hirshman said the demonstration was led by a very extreme faction and that the approaching election season must also be taken into account. Even so, he acknowledged that the arrest-based approach is not leading any Haredi person to enlist.