Police to hold fire against rock throwers pending training

Israeli police will have to hold their fire against rock-throwing protesters until they receive proper training, according to a Tuesday media report.

Police had already begun to use the Ruger sniper rifle to quell unrest in and around Jerusalem late last week, as officials said they were toughening their response to rock- and Molotov cocktail-throwing in and around Jerusalem following a fatal attack.

But officials said marksmen would have to wait until police drew up and implemented a training program for the weapon before being able to use the sniper rifle, according to the Haaretz daily.

The American-made .22-caliber Ruger sniper rifle is considered less lethal than standard issue rifles, and under new rules of engagement being drawn up, police will only be able to use them in life-threatening situations, including rock throwing.

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said Tuesday that he “hopes police in Jerusalem will be given more tools, an issue the prime minister is pushing for, justifiably so.”

“When [we are discussing] stones, and not small gravel, thrown at moving vehicles — stones kill, let alone Molotov cocktails,” Ya’alon told Israel Radio.

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan has also called for police forces to be able to fire on rock throwers, and earlier this week Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein reportedly okayed the move, though he questioned a government plan to raise minimum sentencing against convicted offenders.

Ya’alon said the option to use live fire against protesters had been in place in the West Bank for years, and should be afforded to police in Jerusalem as well.

“When you see a fellow holding a stone as large as a human fist or larger, and he throws it at a moving vehicle… if it meets the head of a person, recently also babies, then of course it kills. In such cases IDF soldiers open fire at the terrorist with the rock – aiming to hit, without asking questions. This is true also for Molotov cocktails. In Jerusalem currently the rules are different but I hope the attorney general will give the judicial basis to protect cops so they can also act this way.”

Jonathan Beck contributed to this report