Police Deny Stabbing Attempt on Yair Golan; Party Insists

The Democratic Party continued to insist on Tuesday that an attempted stabbing of party leader Yair Golan occurred, despite explicit denials from the police. The party released a photograph of a knife seized from a suspect apprehended near Golan in Tel Aviv's HaMesila Park. Police stated that officers observed a suspicious object under the suspect's coat, approached him, found the knife, and arrested him. However, they emphasized that no stabbing attempt took place, contrary to reports.

The suspect, a Jerusalem resident in his 20s, was taken for questioning. The Democratic Party's statement linked the incident to the decision to transfer Golan's security detail to the Shin Bet, suggesting the situation could have been worse without this measure. Earlier, Golan had accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of inciting violence, calling the incident a direct result of Netanyahu's "poison machine."

However, the police presented a different account, clarifying that the arrest was made after officers noticed a suspicious item on a man near Golan. The man was stopped for a check, during which a knife was discovered. Police stressed that the seizure of the knife did not, in itself, indicate an attempted attack, and they reiterated that no stabbing attempt occurred.