Israel Police said Wednesday evening it will conduct its own investigation into allegations that officers used violence against ultra-Orthodox protesters who blocked Highway 4 at the entrance to Bnei Brak earlier in the day. The force said any “exceptional cases” that do not match police procedures or expectations of commanders and officers on the ground will be thoroughly reviewed and handled disciplinarily.
Police Commissioner Danny Levy also addressed the complaints, saying that if video review shows commanders or officers acted outside procedures, the force will not hesitate to respond harshly and suspend them from operational duty. “There were senior commanders at the protest and my expectation from them is to control the event,” he said. Tel Aviv District Commander Chaim Sargaroff then ordered, at Levy’s request, the immediate suspension of a police officer filmed kicking a protester in the head.
The demonstration was staged by ultra-Orthodox extremists protesting military conscription and arrests of draft dodgers. During the protest, Bnei Brak-Ramat Gan police commander Lt. Cmdr. Yuval Shavit was filmed tearing a protester’s pants and dragging him along the road. Other participants also claimed they were subjected to severe police violence, and several protesters were seen being dragged off the highway.
Shas chairman Aryeh Deri urged National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to “wake up,” saying police were acting against Haredim in a way they did not against anti-government protesters on Kaplan Street. United Torah Judaism lawmaker Meir Porush demanded an urgent Knesset National Security Committee hearing, calling the police response discriminatory. Police said the blockade left tens of thousands of drivers stranded, that two officers were injured and treated medically, and that five protesters were arrested for assaulting police and disturbing the peace.
