MK Ben-Gvir, Wounded By Police In Nahalat Shimon Clashes, Returns To Scene And Demands Proper Security

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — In the wake of the arson attack on the house of Tal Yeshovayev in the Nahalat Shimon neighborhood adjacent to the tomb of Shimon Hatzadik, MK Itamar Ben-Gvir moved his parliamentary bureau next to Yeshovayev’s house. Ben-Gvir is demanding that police post full-time security near Yeshovayev, whose car has also been torched nine times in the past year.

The move sparked clashes with local Arabs as well as Arab MKs who came to support them. The Arab MKs stayed in the house of the Arab Salem family which has an eviction order.  The Arab rioters threw stones and other projectiles at Jews who came to support Yeshovayev as well as at police. However police did not detain Arab rioters and instead forcibly remove the Jewish demonstrators from the scene, using violent methods to evict them and entering Yeshovayev’s house without a warrant.

Police also dismantled Ben-Gvir’s bureau and knocked him to the ground, causing him to faint as well as suffering a head injury. Ben-Gvir went to hospital to receive treatment but returned to the Knesset and later to the Nahalat Shimon neighborhood wearing a head bandage. During the course of the day municipal officials attempted to suggest ways to provide security including surveillance cameras as well as employing watchmen from a nearby building but Ben-Gvir insisted that these measures had not prevented the Arab violence in the neighborhood, including a stabbing attack on a Jewish woman and numerous attacks against local residents and those visiting the tomb of Shimon Hatzadik.

Ben-Gvir submitted a complaint against the violent policemen. In a statement to the press Ben-Gvir said that “police crossed a red line and physically assaulted me. There is no place in the police for violent policemen and this is a criminal act for which they must be brought to justice. I expect the police’s Internal Investigations department to do its job and use the force of the law against the violent police so that the entire police force will learn its lesson.”

Foreign Minister Lapid criticized Ben-Gvir Tuesday, stating that “he did not go to the neighborhood to defend Jews but rather to ignite fires and violence, he is a miserable provocateur.”

Lapid warned that “this is a desperate attempt by a publicity monger to create provocations which will cost lives. Arabs will die, Jews will die because of his behavior.”