Israeli State Comptroller Blasts Police, Shin Bet Over Failings in May 2021 Riots
Israel’s State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman issued a report Wednesday highly critical of the police and Shin Bet security agency over their mishandling of riots that broke out in mixed Jewish-Arab cities in May 2021.
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The clashes, which caused the deaths of three people, included shootings, stone-throwing, and the fire-bombing of businesses, homes, synagogues, and cars. They followed violence between the police and Palestinian residents in Jerusalem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, and rocket fire from the Gaza Strip that led to 11 days of fighting between the Israeli military and Palestinian armed groups.
The comptroller’s report said there were major failings in the security forces’ readiness, intelligence gathering, and response to the riots, and faulted both the police and the Shin Bet for a lack of coordination and cooperation between them. A shortage of personnel meant that the police were unable to handle the riots, allowing thousands of calls for emergency assistance to go unanswered. Riot control equipment was also in short supply, with the gear in some police districts being completely depleted after a single day of rioting.
