Israeli Police Decline to Investigate Incitement Against Netanyahu Despite Likud's Request
The Likud party has formally requested the Israeli police to investigate left-wing activist Yishai Hadas for a series of posts they claim constitute incitement against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, the police have refused to open an investigation, stating that the posts are unclear in their intent and therefore do not meet the threshold for a criminal offense. This decision has sparked frustration within Likud, which accuses law enforcement and the prosecution of ignoring repeated calls for violence against Netanyahu and his family.
Following the refusal, Hadas continued posting similar content and taunted Police Commissioner Major General Danni Levi, asking if he had started addressing the complaint. Likud responded sharply to the police's inaction, highlighting numerous explicit calls for the assassination of Netanyahu and his family that have gone unpunished for years. They questioned how much more must happen before law enforcement takes action.
Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also criticized the situation, calling it "madness" and accusing the Attorney General of deliberately ignoring incitement against Netanyahu, himself, and other right-wing public officials. When asked about the police response to similar posts by others, Ben-Gvir said the police treat each case individually, implying a double standard. The controversy underscores ongoing tensions between the ruling party and law enforcement over handling politically charged incitement.