Public Security Minister Ohana decries both violent protesters and police
What has been happening makes my heart cringe,” Ohana said. “I am working with the police on solutions. I will say this clearly: There is no place for violent police in Israel.”
By GIL HOFFMANJustice Minister Amir Ohana speaks at The Jerusalem Post-Maariv Group Conference, December 25, 2019(photo credit: ALONI MOR)
Public Security Minister Amir Ohana vowed on Wednesday to take action to prevent police from using violence against protesters, but he also called recent protests violent and urged the public not to come due to the spread of the coronavirus.Speaking at a press conference at the police’s Jerusalem headquarters, Ohana singled out a protest on Saturday night in Tel Aviv and on Tuesday night outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s official residence in Jerusalem.“What has been happening makes my heart cringe,” Ohana said. “I am working with the police on solutions. I will say this clearly: There is no place for violent police in Israel.”Ohana urged both the police and the public to be more respectful of each other, noting that it is not the police who decide to close down or a city or require the wearing of masks, but the public takes out its wrath on them. He vowed to select a new police chief within a month who will help set new policies.“There is what to fix in the police,” he said. “There should be more patience and tolerance. We just started. Changes of this size do not happen within a couple months.”Ohana called recent anti-Netanyahu protests “anarchy” that he said was encouraged by opposition MKs. He referred to Yesh Atid MK Idan Roll, who stated in a tweet on Tuesday that the government has "no legitimacy to order a closure and the public doesn't need to obey [regulations]."“When an MK says that a government that has the support of most of the people is illegitimate and says its decisions do not have to be heeded, that is rebellion,” Ohana said. “There were elections in Israel, and after three intense races, the public decided to put an end to the rift and form a unity government. The protests lately that use the word democracy in vain are anarchy.”Ohana also complained about recent statements by celebrities against Netanyahu, his wife and son and called on Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn to stop Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit from taking powers away from police.
