Police chief said to phone senior officer suspected of brutality to express backing

Israel Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai phoned a police commander under investigation for allegedly using excessive force against anti-government protesters to express support for the officer, according to a television report Friday.

The Kan public broadcaster didn’t provide any further details about the content of Shabtai’s call with Yair Hanuna, the head of Tel Aviv’s Yasam special patrol unit.

The revelation of the phone call came a day after Shabtai came out against a public display of support for Hanuna by officers in his unit, as he and four other cops suspected of police brutality were questioned Wednesday by the Justice Ministry’s Police Internal Investigations Department (PIID).

Dozens of uniformed Yasam officers gathered outside the PIID’s office in Tel Aviv, obstructing the flow of traffic on the street, and cheered as Hanuna arrived. Some of them shouted: “We love you!” Hanuna responded to reporters’ questions only with “Good morning and have a good day.”

In an official response from police, Shabtai told senior commanders to “emphasize to all officers to be statesmanlike as uniform-wearers who represent a leadership symbol.”

“We must all be careful not to harm leadership institutions and preserve our existence as an apolitical police force that enables legitimate protests in accordance with the law. Supporting colleagues is an important thing that attests to the organization’s spirit, but this must be done without harming leadership institutions — I won’t condone that.”

Meanwhile, Israel’s leading television news networks reported Friday that Shabtai is adamant that he will leave his post at the end of 2023 and not seek the year-long extension he’s eligible for. In late June, police and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir announced Shabtai’s term will not be extended amid tense ties with the far-right leader, though the two have appeared closer over the past month.

מפקד יס"מ ת"א סנ"צ יאיר חנונה מגיע על מדים לחקירה במח"ש בחשד לתקיפת מפגינים – ומתקבל במחיאות כפיים סוערות בידי עשרות חבריו ושוטריו ליחידה: "אוהבים אותך!" pic.twitter.com/fxQHS2tnag

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— Josh Breiner (@JoshBreiner) August 2, 2023

The investigation of Hanuna and other officers followed chaotic protests held last week across the country after the government passed a law curtailing judicial oversight over the decisions of elected officials based on their reasonableness — the first piece of legislation in its contentious overhaul package.

Videos from those demonstrations showed police kicking protesters who were lying on the ground, throwing burning pallets toward them, dragging activists by their hair and using violence during arrests of those allegedly blocking roads and highways, including those who were not resisting arrest.

Hanuna was seen in widely circulated images apparently punching protester Amitai Aboudi after the 18-year-old had already been handcuffed on July 24.

Aboudi has himself been questioned by police on three occasions since the incident, most recently on Tuesday, with police saying he had tried to interfere with officers’ attempts to clear protesters from the Ayalon Highway on that day.

In video of Aboudi’s arrest, he is seen being hit and dragged by a group of police officers. In a photo of the incident, Hanuna can be seen apparently smiling while allegedly hitting Aboudi. Police have denied that Hanuna hit the teen after he was subdued.

הי @10elilevi
אמיתי בריליאנט בן 18 מוסר ד"ש pic.twitter.com/3e9tYk7ePy

— יוסי מזרחי Yossi Mizrachi (@yosimiz1) July 25, 2023

Multiple complaints by protesters have been filed against Hanuna, including that he broke a demonstrator’s nose at a rally last month in Tel Aviv and choked another until he almost lost consciousness.

Hanuna and the other officers involved in the alleged violence were not wearing bodycams at the time of the arrest, in contravention of regulations, the Kan public broadcaster reported.

Shabtai offered his support Thursday “to all cops who operate in accordance with the law,” while again criticizing a campaign by overhaul opponents that publicly names officers who allegedly used excessive force against protesters, including Hanuna.

“Any claim of deviation from the rules by a police officer will be examined only by the official bodies, and not in drumhead court-martial,” the police chief said.

Police earlier issued a more vague statement, stating that “an officer is allowed — not as part of a group — to accompany an officer summoned for questioning to the PIID offices to support them. This is appropriate and welcome. The rules will be emphasized accordingly.”

Earlier Thursday, former police commissioner Assaf Hefetz voiced much more blunt criticism of the Yasam officers’ display of support, telling the Ynet news site: “It’s inappropriate. The PIID must be allowed to investigate without all sorts of solidarity demonstrations by police. Cops shouldn’t be doing this kind of things and the police authorities shouldn’t back this, and definitely not the minister.”

Hefetz referred to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s solidarity visit Wednesday to the Yasam offices as “a horror show” and as “a grave mistake.”

“Police commanders and definitely the minister need to be very careful about intervening in criminal proceedings,” he charged.

During his visit, Ben Gvir, whose ministry is in charge of the police, told officers that the behavior by the PIID — which is in charge of probing allegations of police brutality — was “puzzling and very grave.”

Ben Gvir has pressed police to take a firm hand against protesters of the government’s drastic overhaul of the judiciary. Demonstrators have routinely blocked main highways as part of their protest tactics, leading to increasingly intense clashes with police.