ISRAEL: Tel Aviv’s police chief announced his resignation on Wednesday, citing political interference by hard-right cabinet members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he claimed wanted disproportionate force to be employed against anti-government protesters.
Tel Aviv District Commander Ami Eshed didn’t name the far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who had called for swift action against demonstrators who had blocked roads and highways in unprecedented protests against the controversial government plan to reform the justice system.
Immediately following Eshed’s declaration, a large protest march through Tel Aviv carrying Israeli flags and chants of democracy was heard. Others set fires, blocked a major thoroughfare, and engaged in horse-mounted combat with law enforcement.
In a publicly broadcast statement, Eshed said he couldn’t live up to the demands of “the ministerial echelon,” which he said had broken all norms and shamelessly meddled in his ability to make professional decisions.
“I could have easily met these expectations by using unreasonable force that would have filled up the emergency room of Ichilov (Tel Aviv hospital) at the end of every protest,” said Eshed.
“For the first time in three decades of service, I encountered an absurd reality in which ensuring calm and order was not what was required of me but precisely the opposite,” he further added.
Ben-Gvir, who had previously notified Eshed about his reassignment to a different position within the force, which was perceived as a setback to his aspiration of becoming the police chief, stated in a televised statement that Eshed had exceeded a dangerous line.
“Politics has seeped into the most senior ranks in Israel, and a uniformed officer has caved to senior politicians on the left,” he stated.
Ben-Gvir, a staunch extremist with previous convictions related to terrorism support and incitement, expressed a desire for increased control over the police force when he was chosen as its overseeing minister. This raised concerns about the independence of the police.
After renouncing some of his previous beliefs, Ben-Gvir joined Netanyahu’s recent coalition in December, causing worry among liberals domestically and internationally. The head of the Jewish Power Party has since criticised the police for their handling of protesters.
Other members of Netanyahu’s nationalist-religious coalition have mirrored Ben-Gvir, stating that police have treated protestors well in Tel Aviv’s streets since January, as opposed to what they perceive to be far harsher treatment of settlers and ultra-Orthodox protesters.
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