IDF said to reject police claim they told cops to break up Tel Aviv protest

Military officials reportedly say they played no part in ordering the forceful dispersal of last night’s anti-war protest in Tel Aviv, despite police insisting that the demonstration was broken up with the army’s backing.

Speaking to the Haaretz newspaper, several IDF sources reject police claims that officers broke up the rally at Habima Square only after receiving the go-ahead from a Home Front Command official at the scene.

Police said in a statement last night that cops began to disperse protesters following a “situation assessment with a Home Front Command representative” in which it was determined the demonstration presented “a tangible danger to human life.”

According to the report, the Home Front Command representative at the scene did not take part in the police decision to disperse the crowd and even refused to officially back the move.

Instead, the official offered input solely on issues of safety, including ensuring protesters receive a warning ahead of missile fire and can take shelter during air raid sirens.

The unnamed sources further express frustration to the outlet that police are “selectively enforcing” army guidelines, cracking down on protests while allowing other public gatherings, including those of a religious nature, to take place without interruption.

High Court judges expressed a similar sentiment in an interim order handed down last night, which called the apparent disparity “difficult to reconcile.”