From the Liveblog of
Sunday, July 9, 2023
Lapid urges police to respect right to protest, refrain from using force
Carrie Keller-Lynn is a former political and legal correspondent for The Times of Israel
In a letter penned to Commissioner Shabtai, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid urges the police to respect the right to protest and only use force in “exceptional cases.”
Lapid sends his letter as cabinet ministers conduct a tense debate with the attorney general and Shabtai regarding the proper police and legal response to public disruptions by protesters.
“I call on you to instruct your people to respect the citizens and the democratic protest, to sharpen the guidelines for the use of force only in exceptional cases, and not to let the background noise inflame the spirits,” Lapid writes to Shabtai.
Shabtai has been under considerable pressure from far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to step up enforcement against protesters who block roads, amid six months of demonstrations against the government’s judicial overhaul.
“Millions of citizens take to the streets to defend democratic values, to defend the law you are entrusted with, to defend our beloved country,” writes Lapid. “The Israel Police has a responsibility to be there for them. Give them the space to protest and express their concern and pain. They are fighting for the future of the country.”
Lapid, who leads the opposition against the judicial shakeup, says that demonstrators are “outstanding people” and that “this is the most wonderful protest in the history of the country.”
