MK Yoav Ben Tzur of United Torah Judaism on Wednesday submitted an agenda motion in the Knesset plenum on what he called police violence against Haredi demonstrators, following recent videos from anti-draft protests. In an emotional speech, he accused police of selective enforcement and said the footage should “keep every citizen in Israel awake at night.”
Ben Tzur said officers were acting with “brutal, unrestrained violence” and were injuring Haredi protesters “until they are bleeding.” He contrasted the treatment of different protests, saying that at Kaplan demonstrations police use loudspeakers and negotiate, while “batons, blows and stun grenades” are reserved for Haredi protesters. He asked why, in his words, “is the blood of the Haredim less red?” and whether there are different laws for north Tel Aviv and for Bnei Brak and Jerusalem.
He said the Haredi sector would not accept being made the country’s “punching bag” to satisfy the media or display toughness. Ben Tzur stressed that police should maintain public order with “reasonable, measured and restrained force,” and said uniforms and authority are not a license to destroy public trust. He also said he was not generalizing about all officers and was speaking to strengthen the police as the body responsible for citizens’ safety.
Calling the incidents a “red line,” he demanded fast Internal Investigations Department probes, immediate suspensions, and zero tolerance for police violence. He said officers who acted unlawfully should be removed from the force and imprisoned. In a direct appeal, he asked the officers involved who they were fighting and why they were beating “brothers,” adding that protesters are “human beings, not animals.” He said the motion comes amid a wave of disturbing protest footage and alongside a historic car protest launched Wednesday from multiple locations across the country.
