Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan convened a meeting of senior police, border police and special unit commanders to discuss the widespread violence by members of the Ethiopian Israeli community.

At the height of the violent protest by the Ethiopian community and after hours of violence and anarchy, the Minister of Public Security, Gilad Erdan, convened a special situation assessment meeting with Deputy Police Commissioner Moti Cohen and the police command.

Erdan asked to explain why it took the police much time to control the situation.

“Two days ago, a serious incident occurred, painful and severe, when a police officer shot and killed unarmed Solomon Tekka,” Erdan began. “I would like to express, on my behalf and on behalf of the entire Israeli police, the deep shock and the great sorrow over this difficult event and send heartfelt condolences to the Tekka family.”

The off-duty policeman who shot and killed Tekka has been arraigned and sent to house arrest.

Erdan continued, “Since yesterday, demonstrations and roadblocks have begun, which intensified after the funeral of the late Solomon. I understand and identify with the pain of the community members and respect the desire to protest, the right of every citizen of a democratic state to protest injustices that he feels he has been subjected to, and to cry out when he feels that his rights have been violated.

“In recent years, the Israeli government, the Ministry of Public Security and the police have taken many steps and great efforts to strengthen the connection and trust between the Ethiopian community and the police, and this has always been one of the most important national tasks.

“These efforts by the police also had positive results in the Israel Police and the Border Police, and currently, more than 1,000 members of the community are serving. There has been a 21 percent drop in arrests among Ethiopian Israelis.

“We initiated the body cameras project to increase transparency and many steps have been taken to combat the phenomenon of over-policing.

“The leadership of the community itself praises the activities of the police at every opportunity, and the terrible incident in Kiryat Chaim does not represent the processes that the Israeli police have undergone, the protest of the community is legitimate, but the protest has borders that must not be crossed and which the police cannot ignore.”

“The Israel Police made every effort to allow the demonstrators to express their pain and shout out their cries,” the minister said, adding that “the forces acted with restraint and containment so as not to resort to violent confrontations that would lead, chas v’sholom, to casualties.

“I am aware, of course, of the great suffering of the general public and of the unpleasantness caused by thousands of civilians on the roads, and I regret it very much, but it is important to understand that the police acted to prevent further casualties. And large measures that would have caused a very high degree of certainty for more casualties, which would naturally lead to an escalation of the situation and we do not want to do so.

“Unfortunately, among the demonstrators there were, and still are, those who act violently and unbridled against the policemen who do their duty and against innocent civilians.” Today we saw very violent violators among the demonstrators who hurled Molotov cocktails at stun grenades at police, destroyed vehicles and state infrastructure, and this violence caused the injury of dozens of policemen.

“Demonstrators who throw stones at an ambulance, demonstrators who hit rescue forces who come to help, demonstrators who set fire to police stations – are losing legitimacy, and we cannot permit taking take tens of thousands of civilians on the roads as hostages and endanger their lives. It is difficult in the public order, and of course we will not allow a protest that harms people or property.”

Acting Police Commissioner Moti Cohen said that the police allowed the Ethiopian community to express their protest. “As a police force in a democratic society, we and the police acted with great restraint.”

“In a large number of arenas, of disturbances,” said the police commissioner, “the demonstrators expressed their protest with real disturbances, harming police officers, hurling Molotov cocktails, hurling stun grenades, damaging police property, damaging government institutions, They also acted vigorously to disrupt order wherever possible and to harm the routine of Israeli citizens.

“In view of the above, and after I understood that we had done as much as possible the Ethiopian community would express its protest, I instructed the commanders in the field not to allow any further disclosure of violence”

Former Jerusalem Police Chief Aryeh Amit on Wednesday morning told KAN11 News host Karen Orbach “I think yesterday was a colossal police command failure!”

He added that no one should have been permitted to block roads, or cause injury and damage property. Amit stated no one has the right to block major vehicular arteries and cause the backups and delays that resulted on Tuesday, as motorists were stranded for hours. “Expressing protest is a legitimate right in a democracy, but what occurred yesterday was simply violent unrests that deteriorated into attacks.”

He added that even if it does not appear well in the news, at times police must use force to maintain order and this is a priority.

Coastal District Police Chief Pertz Amar visits the family of Tekka, which is currently sitting shiva.

הירי בסלמון טקה | מפקד מחוז החוף במשטרה, ניצב פרץ עמר, הגיע לנחם את אביו של סלמון טקה: “הקשר שלנו עם העדה מצויין. אני מתכוון לחזק אותו” לדבריו, “אני מקווה שזה המקרה האחרון – זה לא בידיים שלנו. הדינמיקה לפעמים כופה עלינו דברים שאין לנו שליטה עליהם. עושים את המקסימום” @10elilevi pic.twitter.com/AwEM9AZ8Px

— חדשות 13 (@newsisrael13) July 3, 2019

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)