Police Spokesman Says He Faces Attacks From Yair Golan’s Party and MK Naama Lazimi

Israel Police spokesman Arye Doron said on Sunday that he is under attack from Yair Golan’s “The Democrats” party and from MK Naama Lazimi, after Golan announced a new “legal command center” to monitor the police and Shin Bet ahead of future elections. Golan, who heads The Democrats, said his team would watch the two agencies “with seven eyes” to protect the integrity of the vote and prevent politicization.

Doron strongly rejected Golan’s move, saying it amounted to an unacceptable threat against law-enforcement officials. He accused Golan of repeatedly targeting uniformed personnel in Israel and said, “Maybe he has some kind of phobia of attacking people in uniform? This man was deputy chief of staff, and it is surprising to see him acting this way against Israeli police.”

The police spokesman also noted that Police Commissioner Danny Levi had issued a clear statement only hours earlier saying the police’s role is to enforce the law and ensure clean elections, language Doron said was almost identical to Golan’s. “The Democrats need to do internal work,” he said, adding that they had “almost copied” the police spokesman’s statement.

Doron said he has recently faced personal attacks from The Democrats and from Lazimi, accusing her of attacking him and police officers personally. “We are a police force that upholds the law. There will be no concessions for anyone, and we will act exactly as expected of us,” he said. Police sources added that Levi, who has served in the force for 42 years, will continue his duties without fear and that “Golan and The Democrats certainly cannot threaten the Israel Police.”