Israel Police issued a sharply worded response on Wednesday against Ynet reporter Liran Tamari after he posted about an incident in which a Nova festival survivor was shot by police during a chase. The force accused Tamari of presenting a “complete distortion of reality” and said his motives were “not professional.”
The public dispute began after Tamari wrote online that this was “another incident Jerusalem police do not want you to know about.” In his post, he said a Nova survivor was arrested at a police checkpoint, fled, was hit by police fire during the pursuit, and is now hospitalized under guard. He also claimed that the Moriyya police station appealed a court decision allowing the man’s parents to be with him for a limited time.
Police said the details had already been published on Friday “transparently and fully,” and accused Tamari of omitting the main facts. According to the police version, the suspect was detained in an anti-drug operation, escaped during the arrest, ran over two police volunteers, broke through barriers, rammed police cars, and endangered road users. Officers then fired to stop the threat and arrest him.
The police added that dangerous drugs in an amount not for personal use were found in the suspect’s car, and said the investigation is continuing. In its statement, police said Tamari was again distorting reality and smearing officers who “work day and night” for public safety. It said it expected him to act with responsibility, integrity, and fairness rather than turn his platform into “a tool of attack” and “absolute fake news.”
