A meeting took place on Thursday afternoon 21 Sivan between Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, Police Chief Roni Alsheich and other senior officials, who met with the mayors of Bnei Brak (Chanoch Zeibert), Beit Shemesh (Moshe Abutbul), Modi’in Illit (Yaakov Gutterman), Betar Illit (Meir Rubinstein), Elad (Yisrael Porush) and their respective deputy mayors.

The purpose of Erdan’s request for the meeting with chareidi municipal leaders is to increase the working relationship with police, a confidence-building measure and to prevent violence as was seen in the past. The meeting is at the behest of Minister Erdan’s office.

Discussion involved matters including police action against members of the Vaad for Purity in the Camp as well as the many arrests made in recent stormy Peleg riots around Israel. The attacks against frum soldiers and police walking into Meah Shearim dressed as soldiers, an act of provocation according to some, was also high on the agenda.

It is pointed out that with the labeling of soldiers ‘Chardakim’ and the stepped-up protests and violent riots from the Peleg faction; from the perspective of police and the Public Security Ministry, violence originating in the chareidi camp has reached worrisome proportions.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)