Israel police had 'no officers in area' while citizen attacked, beaten by judicial reform opponents

The wife of an Orthodox Jewish man who was brutally beaten Sunday by a mob of protesters in Tel Aviv was told by police there were no officers available.

The demonstrators were protesting Israel’s controversial judicial reform law, which was submitted by Benjamin Netanyahu’s Right-leaning government passed its first reading in Israel’s Knesset (Parliament) last month. The legislation, whose progress has been paused until the summer, seeks to curtail the unchecked power of Israel’s Supreme Court, whose Left-wing judges have served as an unbridled authority for the Left.

Israelis have become furiously embroiled in debate over the bill as Israel’s mainstream media relentlessly reports strong opposition to the proposal. Protests, some of which turn violent, are partly sponsored by the Biden administration and joined by Left-wing politicians who are calling for civil war and a violent coup d’état in the name of democracy. One minister has been fired for calling for a halt to the legislation and hundreds of elite reservists have refused to show up for duty in protest of the bill.

On Sunday, a rabbi and his wife who work as outreach emissaries for the Chabad-Lubavitch movement were traveling through Tel Aviv to visit their son, unaware there was a protest in the area against judicial reform. The mob of demonstrators surrounded the car and tried to break the windows.

I'm sure," the rabbi’s wife told Israel National News, "that no one thought we were a threat since my husband is [ultra-Orthodox], with a kippa and black and white clothes, and I was wearing a wig, screaming. Anyone who saw us could understand that we were lost. No one could be confused."

Unable to reverse or drive because he was surrounded, the rabbi opened the door of the car to speak to the protesters and prevent them from having to break the windows. That’s when the crowd began beating him while shouting curses at him. They rammed a flagpole into his cheek, cutting his face.

“They got into the back of the car since the back seat was folded down,” the wife added. “They beat him, I saw the blood, and he told me, 'take me to the hospital. I can't see out of this eye, and I'm going to faint.' I cried. I asked them to let us go, and they just continued."

She heard one protester suggest to others that they take the motor out of the car so the man would bleed out.

Those who weren’t part of the lynching stood filming the incident with their phones. One man took compassion and advised the wife to call the police. When she did, she was told there were no available officers in the area and to drive her husband to the hospital. She was also told that an officer would contact her to file a report, but she was never contacted.

"I really hope that it will happen. The police weren't with us when it happened; when I asked them to rescue us from the lynch and help us get to the hospital. They weren't there,” said the woman.

The couple’s attorney, Raphael Asulin, slammed the police for their inaction.

“My client is broken; he's afraid to leave his home because he may be attacked again,” said Asulin. “And let's not mention the incompetence of the police, which didn't do a thing during the incident or even afterward. My client had to use his last strength, being wounded and hurt, to submit a complaint as he was told by the police. I hope that after the complaint is submitted, the police will work to find those responsible for this terrible lynch.”

The lack of response to the incident by police is uncharacteristic of Israel’s law enforcement, whose authority continues to grow considerably.

Israel’s Knesset (Parliament) Tuesday approved new legislation which allows police to search private homes without a warrant if there is “reasonable suspicion” that the home contains illegal weapons or weapon parts.

The provisions of the law state police may search a home at will if a warrant cannot be obtained immediately and the search cannot be delayed, or if there is evidence such as security camera footage showing that a serious crime is being committed.

The police who search the home must first receive authorization from a superintendent or officer of higher rank. If the police officers seize any object which was not covered by the authorization, the matter may be adjudicated by a court, according to Haaretz.

The law, which is valid for one year, was passed with bipartisan support and illustrates the expanding authority enjoyed by the country’s law enforcement. As Israel Police Commissioner Koby Shabtai said in 2021, “We are a democratic country, but there is a limit.” Shabtai made the remarks when he recommended that the government shut down social media to temper civil unrest.

Indeed, Frontline News reported in November that Israel police are refusing to disclose a secret artificial intelligence algorithm being used to profile and detain passengers at the airport who have no criminal history and provide no cause for suspicion. Israeli courts have expressed concern about the artificial intelligence program, which raises several legal issues. 

The program gathers private information about citizens from government ministries, including databases from the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Welfare, the Tax Authority and others. The algorithm then compiles the data, which may include socioeconomic status, marital status, relatives, etc. and matches them against a pre-determined criminal profile. It is unclear what significance the algorithm assigns to certain data. 

If there is a match, even if there is no criminal history, the passenger is detained at the airport by police before passing through border control. The reason for the detention is known only to the police officers, who then conduct a search of the passenger’s luggage and may also conduct an invasive body search. 

The program's existence was revealed during a recent trial involving one such detainee, but the police refused to provide any details about the program to the court. 

"We received no clarification on how the system works and on what basis of information people are added to the list,” said Central District Court Judge Merav Greenberg. “There is no claim that the inclusion [of a suspect] is based on concrete information."  

Supreme Court Judge Anat Baron also weighed in on the secret program when the case was brought for appeal. 

"Indeed, the manner in which the petitioner was arrested at the airport when he was located by the 'generalization method' . . . a method whose nature, at least at this stage, cannot be verified - causes difficulty and the question arises whether the search was carried out illegally,” said Baron. 

Israel police have also been testing a sophisticated AI-powered system which will use sensors to capture traffic violators and issue automatic fines. The sensors, which will be placed along Israeli roads, will scan for drivers who use their phone while driving (even at a red light), fail to give the right of way at a crosswalk, crossing a white line, holding a drink while driving, or other violations. 
The program, which has been in the works for over two years, is set to launch this year.