Criticism directed at the behavior, or rather the policy, of violence against Jewish Israeli demonstrators and protestors, reached new heights when a prominent official judicial body, the Public Defender’s Office, joined the condemnation, which described what happened in the Israeli demonstrations and sit-ins against the backdrop of the war as “a widespread phenomenon of police violence.” Which “affects and harms bodies and souls and tramples on rights.”

These are phrases and terms whose use was limited to human and citizen rights organizations and non-Zionist protest movements, which witnessed systematic police attacks on Arab citizens in particular for decades. It goes without saying that many of the critical voices today have never been heard before in the case of police attacks on Arabs.

The unprecedented step of this body was preceded by public criticism and complaints submitted by several representative bodies, including the Doctors Syndicate. For definition: The Defense Office is, according to its official definition: a unit affiliated with the Ministry of Justice, which began its activity in 1996 under the Public Defense Law of 1995, with the aim of providing qualitative and free legal assistance to defendants and detainees who are eligible according to the law, such as minors, those of limited means, and people with disabilities. According to the Public Defense Law, his work is subject to the supervision of the “Public Defense Committee,” headed by the Minister of Justice.

An official statement by the office said, “Violence affects all segments of society in Israel and leads to a lack of confidence in the law enforcement apparatus.” He noted that he has been warning for years that the police investigations unit known as “Mahash” must improve its performance in dealing with and eliminating the phenomenon of police violence. Rather, he asserted that “Mahash’s” behavior allows the phenomenon of police violence to continue. He added, in the words of one of his senior managers, that the continued violence was caused by “turning a blind eye under the pretext of preventing a greater negative impact, and maintaining the practice of leniency towards police officers who break the law,” while the Investigations Unit must “act decisively and proactively against all forms of violence practiced by the police, and investigate.” "In every incident and prosecution of every violent police officer."

“The phenomenon of police violence is not a mistake, but a policy!” 

The "Israeli Renewal" movement, one of the protest movements that took place after the 2023 elections and whose activists were repeatedly exposed to police violence, commented on the public defense position by saying: The phenomenon of police violence is not a mistake but a policy. Activists of the movement's "Civil Defense" patrol have recorded dozens of cases of severe violence in the last two weeks alone. The ongoing emasculation of the police investigations unit and the expansion of the political influence of Minister Itamar Ben Gvir from the top is a real danger to democracy. We call on all democratic forces in Israel to join the fight against the politicization of the police.

Opposition leader, Knesset member Yair Lapid, came out in the same direction after an attack on demonstrators and Channel 12 correspondent Yolan Cohen: “We witnessed another night in which the Israeli police lost their nerve. There is no reason for a police officer to act this violently towards any civilian. And certainly not towards A journalist while performing her job and duty. Where is the police inspector general? Where is the senior leadership in the field? All limits have been crossed. It cannot continue like this.

An opinion poll conducted by the Accord Institute at the Hebrew University (Jerusalem) last month, which included 1,300 Jewish and Arab citizens, showed that 54% support the protest against the government, and 16% of them said they were reluctant to actually participate in it. Among those who were hesitant, 21% responded that they were afraid of police violence during demonstrations.

37% of those surveyed said that recent police behavior causes them fear. 40% stated that they largely believe that the police are now serving National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and 38% said that the police have become a political body and are betraying their public function.

In another poll conducted by the Institute for Freedom and Responsibility at Herzliya University, 77% said that the police treat all citizens equally, regardless of their origin or political affiliation. But when it comes to violence against protesters, 45% of respondents said the police use violence to some extent, while 44% believe they use violence to a great extent.

What has become known in Israeli public opinion as “the dominance of the spirit of the leader” Ben Gvir at various levels in the police, is a matter of concern not only to the legal and judicial authorities. But also at the highest police leadership. The Inspector General of Police, Yaakov Shabtai, sent a letter to the Supreme Court in mid-June in which he expressed his position on the “Ben Gvir Law” that was discussed in the Supreme Court, and said, “The decisions that will be taken in this petition are decisive for the future of the police and its function.” It will have a profound impact on the image of the police, on its ability to carry out its duties in an official, professional, and non-politicized manner, and on its ability to carry out its duties legally and in accordance with the law. Every police that is not affiliated with the state, and every police affected by strange considerations, will not be able to perform its duty, and will inevitably lose the public’s confidence ".

This law gives Ben Gvir the authority to impose criminal administrative detention orders. It stipulates that arrest warrants are issued with the approval of the Public Prosecutor or any of the legal advisors, and their period ranges from six months to one year. The law gives Ben Gvir the authority to direct the general policy of the police and determine “general principles of work.” It can also influence policy related to investigations. The law allows Ben Gvir to restrict the movement of any person and prevent him from leaving his place of residence or even travel abroad, ban his presence in a specific area, or oblige him to live in a specific area. These are unprecedented powers. The law was finally passed in late 2022 on the third and final reading, and this was Ben Gvir’s condition for joining Netanyahu’s government, after which he declared that he had “made history” and pledged to build a “strong police force.” In his concepts, force means nothing but violence, as is clear to many.

The Doctors Syndicate went on strike to protest police violence against its members 

Police violence also targets medical, nursing, and ambulance crews accompanying the demonstrations. Likewise, when they wear a uniform that identifies their job and badges that indicate their identity. In the middle of last month, a doctor was attacked by the police in Tel Aviv during demonstrations demanding the release of the kidnapped people and the overthrow of the government. Documenting the event, doctor Udi Baharp, who was wearing a jacket identifying his job, appears kneeling next to an injured woman and treating her, while a crowd of demonstrators and police officers stand around them.

A policewoman was seen trying to grab the injured woman's arm, but the doctor removed her hand. In response, the policewoman turned to him and tried to stop him. They began to push, and a larger number of police officers joined her. They stopped him forcefully and dragged him from the place.

Doctors' organizations expressed their shock at the incident. The "White Coats" organization said, "The doctor was wearing the official uniform known to the police as the uniform of a volunteer medical team to treat those wounded in the demonstrations," and called on the police to open an immediate investigation and arrest the police officers. The "No Mental Health Without Democracy" organization condemned the incident, adding that "female mental health professionals who wore jackets identifying their jobs were also violently removed by the police."

The Doctors Syndicate went on strike for an hour last week in all hospitals and clinics to protest police violence against medical staff during the demonstrations.

The head of the Medical Syndicate, Professor Zion Hagai, said the following: “The images we saw from the demonstration in Tel Aviv are extremely disturbing and require an immediate and independent investigation. It is unbelievable that a doctor in a uniform that identifies him as a member of the Medical Syndicate, a member of the medical staff, Wearing a red jacket, he is violently dragged while providing medical treatment to an injured protester. Everyone who sees this documentation should be shocked. I call on Police Inspector Kobi Shabtai to immediately condemn the behavior of the police officers in the square, and ensure that such a serious incident does not happen again. “At the same time, we demand an independent investigation to complete the procedures with field officials and at the leadership level, and as long as we do not see a quick and adequate response, we will not hesitate to take regulatory measures.”

A turning point in the tense relations between the police and the demonstrators 

According to the newspaper "Haaretz", while the police had intensified enforcement measures against the protests the month before last, the month of June witnessed a turning point in relations between the police and the demonstrators, as one hundred people were arrested and summoned for interrogation - according to data from "Otif Atzorim" (cover of the detainees). , an organization that provides legal assistance to protesters. It turned out that in about 900 arrests, indictments were only filed in 20 cases, raising suspicion that the arrests lacked justification. In addition, according to the aforementioned organization, there has been a noticeable increase in police violence and the number of injured.

As a reminder, a study issued by the Research and Information Institute of the Israeli Knesset last March indicated an increase in complaints against the illegal use of force and violence by the police. In 2022, 1,124 complaints were filed regarding illegal use of force by police officers. These complaints regarding the illegal use of force by police officers constitute approximately 34% of the total complaints submitted to Mahash.

It is clear that complaints about the illegal use of force by police officers have increased significantly in 2022 compared to previous years. According to the data, during the years 2017-2021, 4,134 complaints were submitted to Mahash regarding the illegal use of force by police officers, i.e. 827 complaints annually on average, which means that the number of complaints submitted in the year 2022 was about 36% greater than the average in The five years before that.

It is necessary to remember in this context, once again, that this police violence has always existed against Arab citizens.

There is nothing new under the sun. These are not only assaults or the use of violence in various ways, but there are dozens of cases of killing and causing permanent injuries to Arab citizens with police bullets.

According to the documentation of the Adalah Legal Center for the Rights of the Arab Minority in Israel, no responsible police officer has been brought to trial in more than 55 cases of killing of Arab citizens by police officers since the year 2000. The most prominent file, of course, is the file of the mass murder committed by the police of Arab youth in October. October 1, 2000. But not only that, in all subsequent cases of killing of Arab citizens by police bullets, no indictments were presented nor even criticism.

In these difficult days, when the police are led by a Kahanist minister like Itamar Ben Gvir, and the police are freed to commit violence and use excessive force even against the families of kidnapped Israelis in the Gaza Strip, one does not need an active imagination to be sure that this bleak picture of police violence will not increase. Except for ugliness and racism, especially against the Palestinian Arab minority and against the oppressed of Israeli society.