Police chief slams MKs who clashed with police: ‘We’re not part of a political game’

Police chief Kobi Shabtai tacitly criticizes two Joint List MKs who have recently clashed with Israeli Police: “Police cannot become part of a political game.”

Speaking at the Knesset, Shabtai says that he will not allow such behavior to become the norm: “I will not allow an agenda of blatantly and forcefully harming police officers who are doing their job on behalf of the state and for its citizens,” he says. “Certainly not on the part of those who are supposed to serve as an example and model of law-abiding behavior for their constituents.”

“The police and police officers cannot become part of a political game and a target for provocations,” he adds.

Police yesterday submitted a request to the attorney general to formally investigate Joint List MKs Ofer Cassif and Ahmad Tibi over their recent behavior.

Cassif was filmed hitting a police officer over the weekend after security forces blocked his vehicle as he tried to reach a protest in the West Bank, while Tibi is accused of obstructing police and helping a suspect escape during an attempted arrest in Jerusalem last week.