Israeli Opposition Leader Calls for Creation of Program To Monitor Police Violence
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid announced the creation of a “documentation center” for police violence on Sunday. This response came after a widely circulated video showed police officers violently arresting a 74-year-old doctor who was attending to an injured protester at an anti-government rally in Tel Aviv.
Lapid, who leads the centrist Yesh Atid party in the Knesset, condemned the incident on social media platform X and criticized Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees law enforcement policy. “This is not Ben Gvir’s police force but that of the citizens of Israel,” Lapid said.
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He called for an investigation into the incident, noting that the physician was clearly identified as a medical professional. Social media posts corroborate Lapid’s account, showing Dr. Udi Baharav aggressively detained while wearing an orange emergency vest. In his post, Lapid provided an email address for individuals to submit evidence of police brutality.
National Unity party chief Benny Gantz also denounced the police’s behavior and called for an investigation. Police reported that 33 protesters were arrested during Saturday’s demonstrations in Tel Aviv.
