Shabtai pushes back: ‘The police are not the militia of any minister’

Israel Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai pushes back on insinuations that his force is allied with the political right, saying that “the discourse around police is overly heated and crosses all boundaries.”

“The police are not the militia of any minister,” says Shabtai at the Reichman University Herzliya Conference.

“I promise you that Israel Police is not political, was not, and should not be,” he insists.

The outgoing chief says the police “must not become the national punching bag.”

“Let’s lower the level of hatred and violence and divisive discourse,” he says.

On Sunday, the Public Defender’s Office panned the “widespread” use of force by police at protests against the government.

Shabtai concedes that his force is “not free of mistake,” but emphasizes that his officers are not looking for confrontation.

“Carrying out arrests and clearing roads will never win the police public approval, but this is our job and we will do it with the minimal possible use of force,” he pledges.

Shabtai argues that weakening the police will harm national security.