Protesters at stabbing site heckle police chief, decry lawlessness

Nationalist Israelis have gathered at the site of the Beersheba stabbing attack to protest what they say is a lack of security in the northern Negev region.

Many of the protesters surrounded police chief Kobi Shabtai, who needed to be ushered away from the scene by guards, Protesters also surrounded his car as he tried to leave the scene, Channel 12 news reports.

Protesters wave Israeli flags and chant “Shame” and “The Negev is bleeding.”

Public Security Minister Omer Barlev is also met with cries of “Shame” at the scene, according to a report.

“The Bedouin are doing whatever they want,” protester Liraz Shalom tells Channel 13, sounding an oft-repeated complaint of lawlessness in the community.

Likud MK Yoav Galant, a former IDF commander in southern Israel, blames the political atmosphere, claiming that the Ra’am party, which is widely backed by Bedouin Israelis, is holding the government hostage and keeping authorities from being able to take action.

Some also criticize the police for the amount of time it took until cops arrived, noting that passersby shot the attacker despite the rampage lasting eight minutes.

Former Jerusalem police commissioner Aryeh Amit tells Army Radio all Israelis should be packing heat. “Anyone who has a licensed gun needs to carry it during these tense times. In mosques, there is terrible incitement against Jews and we are not doing anything about it. It’s impossible to stop these incidents, just to respond as quickly as possible.”