Police chief says cops were too violent at ultra-Orthodox riot

Police chief Roni Alsheich said Monday that video evidence from an ultra-Orthodox demonstration the day before seems to show that police officer used unnecessary force against protesters.

“I felt bad when I saw the videos,” Alsheich told a gathering of police officials at the police headquarters in Jerusalem at a ceremony to toast the approaching Rosh Hashanahholiday, the Jewish New Year.

On Sunday, several hundred ultra-Orthodox Jews scuffled with police during demonstrations in the capital to protest against a court ruling last week that rejected Knesset legislation deferring the mandatory conscription of their community members into the Israel Defense Forces.

Police used water cannons and horse-mounted officers to try and disperse the crowd. One video clip filmed by demonstrators showed a police officer slamming an ultra-Orthodox protester to the ground, apparently unprovoked.

Other footage showed officers punching and kicking demonstrators while they were being held down, and horses trampling over demonstrators.

מחאת העדה החרדית. שוטר יס״מ מפיל בברוטאליות מפגין חרדי העומד בצומת. pic.twitter.com/xYl4sn6uKp

— ישראל כהן (@Israelcohen911) September 17, 2017

“If an officer lost control, he will pay for it,” Alsheich vowed at the event, which was attended by Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, whose portfolio includes administration of the police force.

“I don’t justify it; perhaps there are policeman who need to be put on trial,” Alsheich continued. “There was serious violence by the Haredim, but in the clips that I saw there are incidents in which the use of force by police was apparently not justified.”

Demonstrators had blocked roads and thrown rocks at police during the clashes.

At least three protesters were hospitalized, according to reports.

The Justice Ministry’s Police Internal Investigations Department has begun reviewing video evidence from media broadcasts and clips shared on social media in preparation for a possible full investigation.

Erdan also commented on the events, saying that “an officer can apply force when carrying out his duty, and that force is critical for security and public order, but there is no place for losing one’s grip or applying force when it is not needed. When there are cases that seem that way, there is a duty to investigate them fully and to correct.

“And so, it must be said, it seems was so in some of the cases that were documented at the Haredi demonstrations in Jerusalem,” Erdan said using the Hebrew phrase for ultra-Orthodox Jews.

The demonstration in Mea She’arim, an ultra-Orthodox Jerusalem neighborhood, was organized by the hardline group Eda Haredit after the arrest of a relative of a prominent rabbi for draft dodging. Nine people were arrested during the demonstration.

According to a Channel 2 television report, the rabbi whose son was arrested has since asked his followers to stop holding demonstrations.

Last week’s High Court decision struck down a law exempting ultra-Orthodox men engaged in religious study from military service, saying it undermined equality. The decision raises the possibility that they could be forced into service, a highly contentious proposition with political implications.

The issue is part of a decades-old debate over whether young ultra-Orthodox men studying at yeshivas should undergo compulsory military service like the rest of Israel’s Jewish population.

After reaching the age of 18, men must serve for 32 months, and women must serve for 24.

Ultra-Orthodox seminary students have been largely exempt from Israel’s military draft since then-defense minister David Ben-Gurion exempted 400 students from service in 1949 on the grounds that “their studies are their craft.” Exceptional young artists and athletes are often granted exemptions by the Defense Ministry on the grounds that two or three years of military service could hold them back dramatically.

The ultra-Orthodox oppose serving for a variety of reasons, with the most extreme believing a Jewish state is not allowed before the coming of the Messiah. Others argue that study of religious texts is just as important to Israel as military service or that ultra-Orthodox soldiers would be confronted with irreligious behavior.

The court decision drew instant condemnation from ultra-Orthodox leaders and sparked a number of protests opposing the move.

Times of Israel staff and agencies contributed to this report.