Protests Escalate After Reasonableness Standard Passes Vote
Jul 24, 2023 18:50:34 GMT -5
Post by shalom on Jul 24, 2023 18:50:34 GMT -5
Protests escalate after reasonableness standard passes Knesset vote
By MICHAEL STARR, JERUSALEM POST STAFF Published: JULY 24, 2023 07:42
Updated: JULY 25, 2023 01:10
Protesters and Israel Police clashed heavily throughout Monday afternoon and evening after the reasonableness standard bill passed into law, according to Israel Police.
Protesters blocked Begin Highway in Jerusalem and Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv on Monday shortly after the vote ended, causing police to use heavy crowd dispersal methods that failed to deter them.
Several protesters threw objects, including a stun grenade at police, and one bit a police officer. Israel Police reported that twelve officers were injured during the protests, four of whom were sent for medical treatment at the hospital. Fifteen protesters were arrested for attacking police officers and rioting.
Meanwhile, in Tel Aviv police used water canons and stinky substances against the protesters. One video showed a protestor, who was sitting on a wall, getting hit directly with a water stream and being flung backward. Another video showed a police officer throwing a burning wooden block at a protester.
On Highway 531, three protesters were lightly injured after being hit by a car driven by a man who intentionally sped up to hit them. The man was later questioned and arrested by the police.
A resident of one of the settlements in the Sharon region was arrested for hitting the protesters after Israeli police initiated extensive searches for the suspect.
The Israeli police condemned the injuries of 12 police officers during Monday's protests and view them as a severe matter, according to a statement from the Israel police spokesperson.
"While the police recognize the right to protest as a fundamental aspect of a democratic state, they will not tolerate any violence towards officers, damage to symbols of government, harm to infrastructure, incitement to violence online, or disruptions of public order," the statement said.
Police employed water cannons to clear roads
Earlier in the morning, police had also employed water cannons and made several arrests during anti-judicial reform protests outside the Knesset in Jerusalem as law enforcement attempted to remove demonstrators from the roads near the parliament.
Videos and pictures showed thick plumes of water being shot into crowds from hoses mounted on large vehicles.
Police attempted to manually evacuate the protesters, but many had linked themselves together with bicycle locks. Demonstrators outside the High Court of Justice building also tied themselves together in anticipation of police action.
The scene outside the Knesset on Rothschild St. on Monday morning, July 24, 2023 (CREDIT: ALON BANKI/MAARIV).
By the end of the morning, police had arrested six people outside the Knesset.
Labor MK Efrat Rayten and opposition leader Yair Lapid called on police not to hurt the protesters.
Police Chief Kobi Shabtai joined officers at the police precinct near the Knesset and received overviews and evaluations of the situation.
Earlier in the day, three people were arrested when a group of protesters rallied outside the home of Likud MK Nir Barkat in Jerusalem. During the vote, 15 people were arrested, one of whom allegedly bit a police officer, while dozens more were arrested outside a school on suspicion of attempting to disrupt traffic in the area.
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By MICHAEL STARR, JERUSALEM POST STAFF Published: JULY 24, 2023 07:42
Updated: JULY 25, 2023 01:10
Protesters and Israel Police clashed heavily throughout Monday afternoon and evening after the reasonableness standard bill passed into law, according to Israel Police.
Protesters blocked Begin Highway in Jerusalem and Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv on Monday shortly after the vote ended, causing police to use heavy crowd dispersal methods that failed to deter them.
Several protesters threw objects, including a stun grenade at police, and one bit a police officer. Israel Police reported that twelve officers were injured during the protests, four of whom were sent for medical treatment at the hospital. Fifteen protesters were arrested for attacking police officers and rioting.
Meanwhile, in Tel Aviv police used water canons and stinky substances against the protesters. One video showed a protestor, who was sitting on a wall, getting hit directly with a water stream and being flung backward. Another video showed a police officer throwing a burning wooden block at a protester.
On Highway 531, three protesters were lightly injured after being hit by a car driven by a man who intentionally sped up to hit them. The man was later questioned and arrested by the police.
A resident of one of the settlements in the Sharon region was arrested for hitting the protesters after Israeli police initiated extensive searches for the suspect.
The Israeli police condemned the injuries of 12 police officers during Monday's protests and view them as a severe matter, according to a statement from the Israel police spokesperson.
"While the police recognize the right to protest as a fundamental aspect of a democratic state, they will not tolerate any violence towards officers, damage to symbols of government, harm to infrastructure, incitement to violence online, or disruptions of public order," the statement said.
Police employed water cannons to clear roads
Earlier in the morning, police had also employed water cannons and made several arrests during anti-judicial reform protests outside the Knesset in Jerusalem as law enforcement attempted to remove demonstrators from the roads near the parliament.
Videos and pictures showed thick plumes of water being shot into crowds from hoses mounted on large vehicles.
Police attempted to manually evacuate the protesters, but many had linked themselves together with bicycle locks. Demonstrators outside the High Court of Justice building also tied themselves together in anticipation of police action.
The scene outside the Knesset on Rothschild St. on Monday morning, July 24, 2023 (CREDIT: ALON BANKI/MAARIV).
By the end of the morning, police had arrested six people outside the Knesset.
Labor MK Efrat Rayten and opposition leader Yair Lapid called on police not to hurt the protesters.
Police Chief Kobi Shabtai joined officers at the police precinct near the Knesset and received overviews and evaluations of the situation.
Earlier in the day, three people were arrested when a group of protesters rallied outside the home of Likud MK Nir Barkat in Jerusalem. During the vote, 15 people were arrested, one of whom allegedly bit a police officer, while dozens more were arrested outside a school on suspicion of attempting to disrupt traffic in the area.
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