Israel Police on Tuesday accused several media channels of whitewashing and outright ignoring the violence of the left-wing protesters on Monday evening “as part of biased coverage against the police.”

Many left-wing media outlets ran headlines accusing the police of brutality while ignoring the provocations that preceded the use of police force.

“The police officers who were on Begin Highway experienced very severe physical violence from some of the violators who blocked the highway, rioted, refused to evacuate, physically confronted the police officers, beat the police officers with sticks, lit bonfires on the road, cursed the police officers, threw smoke grenades, threw paint bottles at the windshield of the water cannon truck, placed obstacles and rocks to block the highway, and some even threw objects at the police officers and one of the bottles hit a police officer in the head,” a police statement said.

“Five police officers were lightly injured on Begin Highway and two were evacuated to receive medical treatment. This is not what a protest looks like but violent, dangerous, and unrestrained disturbances.”

In Tel Aviv, protesters threw water bottles filled with sand and glass bottles at the police, as seen in the photos below.

המשטרה: מפגינים מיידים בקבוקים מלאים בחול ובקבוקי זכוכית לעבר שוטרים בקפלן בת"א, שוטר נפגע בראשו@AnnaPines_ pic.twitter.com/VYPXxdKLK5

— גלצ (@GLZRadio) July 24, 2023

פרצופם האמיתי של השמאלנים,
וונדליזים ואנרכיה.

עוקרים שלטים וזורקים בקבוקי זכוכית
ובקבוקים מלאים בחול על שוטרים
שכבר נפגעו – פושעים!

קרדיט תמונה: דוברות המשטרה pic.twitter.com/lhh2IVl0g4

— Ayelet Amram איילת עמרם‎‎ (@AmramAyelet) July 24, 2023

A police officer who worked at the scene said: “For many hours we worked to allow the thousands of protesters to express their protest in the Knesset area even when they bordered on disorderly conduct. What happened on Begin Highway was the furthest thing from a legal protest; it was public disturbances and violent riots for their own sake. In addition to the fact that hundreds of violaters significantly damaged the fabric of life of Jerusalem residents and drivers in the area, they refused to evacuate, physically confronted us, attacked, rioted and even threw objects at us from a height. All our warnings went unheeded and our police officers were injured. The use of measures to disperse disturbances was necessary, and it is a shame that there are those who present the disturbances last night on the road in a completely distorted way, as if it was a coordinated, short and quiet demonstration without violence that did not harm anyone. This was one of the most violent disturbances in Jerusalem in recent times.”

In Tel Aviv, 14 police officers were injured in violent clashes with protesters and some had to be evacuated to Ichilov Hospital for medical treatment.

“The police officers who arrived to disperse the rioters who set fire to the road were violently attacked by the protesters at the Kaplan intersection after they tried to arrest a suspect on suspicion of arson, assaulting a police officer and possession of explosive material,” a police spokesperson said.

“The suspect who held a flare and lit it was caught in the act by the police when he resisted the arrest, while the protesters gathered around the police and began attacking them with their hands and objects, and making deafening noises in their ears in order to prevent the arrest.”

“Sen. Avi Ofer, the deputy commander of the Tel Aviv police station, who was attacked during the arrest, was evacuated to Ichilov Hospital suffering from injuries including a suspected tear and damage to his meniscus.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)